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THE 



LIFE AND VOYAGES 



CHRISTOPHER COLTJIBUS. 



WASHINGTON IRVING-. 

(abridged by the same.) 
including the author's 

VISIT TO P A L S. 

WITH A PORTRAIT, MAP, AND OTUKR ILLUSTRATIONS. 




NEW YORK: 

HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS 

329 & 331 PEARL STREET, 

FRANKLIN SQiTARE. 

i 8n«. 



Eiii 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1839, Dy 

Marsh, Capen, Lyon, axd Webb, 
in the Clerk'a Office of the District Court of Massachusetts 

5 Apt^l 



"iJ 



INTRODUCTION 



Whether in old times, beyond the reach of history 
ot iradition, and at some remote period,when, as some 
imagine, the arts may have flourished to a degree un- 
known to those whom we term the ancients, there exist- 
ed an intercourse between the opposite shores of the 
Atlantic ; whether the Egyptian legend narrated by Plato, 
respecting the island of Atlantis, was indeed no fable, 
but the tradition of some country, engulfed by one of 
those mighty convulsions of our globe, which have left 
the traces of the ocean on the summits of lofty moun- 
tains ; must ever remain matters of vague and visionary 
speculation. As far as authenticated history extends, 
nothing was known of terra-firma, and the islands of the 
western hemisphere, until their discovery towards the 
close of the fifteenth century. A wandering bark ma} 
occasionally have lost sight of the landmarks of the old 
continents, and been driven by tempests across the wil- 
derness of waters, long before the invention of the com- 
pass, but none ever returned to reveal the secrets of the 
ocean ; and though, from time to time, some document 
has floated to the old world, giving to its wondering 
inhabitants indications of land far beyond their watery 
norizon, yet no one ventured to spread a sail, and seek 
that land, enveloped in mystery and peril. Or, if the 
legends of the Scandinavian voyagers be correct, and 
their mysterious Vinland were the coast of Labrador 



IV INTRODUCTION. 

or the shore of Newfoundland, they had but trannlcm 
glimpses of the New World, leading to no pernianent 
knowledge, and in a little time lost agam to mankind. 
Certain it is, that at the beginning of the fifteenth century, 
when the most intelligent minds were seeking in every 
direction for the scattered lights of geographical knowl- 
edge, a profound ignorance prevailed among the learned 
as to the western regions of the Atlantic ; its vast waters 
were regarded with awe and wonder, seeming to bound 
the world as with a chaos, into which conjecture could 
not penetrate, and enterprise feared to adventure. We 
need no greater proof of this, than the description given 
of the Atlantic by Xerif al Edrisi, surnamed the Nubian, 
an eminent Arabian writer, whose countrymen possessed 
all that was known of geography in the middle ages. 

*' The ocean," he observes, encircles the ultimate 
Dounds of the inhabited earth, and all beyond it is un- 
known. No one has been able to verify any thing con- 
cerning it, on account of its difficult and perilous navi- 
gation, its great obscurity, its profound depth, and fre- 
quent tempests ; through fear of its mighty fishes, and 
its haughty winds ; yet there are many islands in it, some 
of which are peopled, and others uninhabited. There 
is no mariner who dares to enter into its deep waters ; 
or if any have done so, they have merely kept along its 
coasts, fearful of departing from them. The waves of 
this ocean, although they roll as high as mountains, yet 
maintain themselves without breaking ; for if they broke, 
it would be impossible for a ship to plough them." 

It is the object of the following work, to relate the 
deeds and fortunes of the mariner, who first had the 
judgement to divine, and the intrepidity to brave, the 
mysteries of this perilous deep ; and who, by his hardv 



MOTE. 



genius, Ins inflexible constancy, and his heroic courage, 
brought the ends of the earth into communication with 
eacli other. The narrative of his troub ed life is the 
link which connects the history of the old world with 
that of the new. 



NOTE. 



Since the first publication of this work, researchej- 
made concerning the early voyages of the 'Northmen,' 
have established the fact, to the conviction of most minds, 
that ' Vinland,' the country accidentally discovered by 
those wide-wandering navigators, about the year 1000, 
was really a part of the continent of North America. 

This fact, however, does not lessen the merit of the 
great enterprise and achievement of Columbus. Nothing 
grew out of this discovery of Vinland, nor does any idea 
appear to have been entertained of the extent or impor- 
tance of the region thus casually brought to light. Two 
or three voyages were made to it, between tiie years 1000 
and 1021 , after which it ceased to be an object of further 
quest, and apparently faded from thought, as if it had 
never been. At the time when Columbus visited Thule, 
upwards of three centuries and a half had elapsed since 
the last voyage to Vinland of which we have any record ; 
and two centuries and a half since the sagas which men- 
tion the country had been written. We see no reason 
to believe that he heard any thing of these discoveries or 
saw the sagas in question. Had he done so, he would 
doubtless have cited them, among the various reports of 
lands seen by mariners in the west, with which he sought 
1 I. 



VI NOTE. 

to fortify his theory and win patronage to his enterprise 
during years of weary and almost hopeless solicitation. 
It is more than probable that, at the time of his visiting 
Thule, the tradition concerning Vinland had long been 
forgotten, and the sagas had been consigned to the dust 
of libraries and archives ; theiio-e to be drawn forth by 
antiquarian research in after ages, when his own discov- 
eries should have cast back a light to illuminate their ob- 
Bcurity. 



ONTENTS. 



Page 
iNTRODUCTIONj .... . . ill 

Note to this Edition, . . v 

CHAPTER I. 

Birth, Parentage, Education, and Early Life of Co- 
lumbus, 9 

CHAPTER 11. 

Progress of Discovery under Prince Henry of Portu- 
gal. — Residence of Columbus in Lisbon. — Ideas 
roRcerning Islands in the Ocean, 13 

CHAPTER III. 

Grounds on which Columbus founded his Belief of the 
Existence of Undiscovered Lands in the West, . 18 

CHAPTER IV. 

Events in Portugal relative to Discovery. — Proposi- 
tions of Columbus to the Portuguese Court, . . 23 

CHAPTER V. 

First Arrival of Columbus in Spain. — Character of 
the Spanish Sovereigns, 28 

CHAPTER VI. 
Propositions of Columbus to the Court of Castile, . 31 

CHAPTER VII. 
Columbus before the Council at Salamanca, ... 34 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Columbus seeks Patronage amongst the Spanish Gran- 
dees. — Returr.s to the Convent of f^a Rabida. — • 



VIII CONTENTS. 

Resumes his Negotiations with the So\ereigns, 
(1491,) 41 

CHAPTER IX. 

Arrangement with the Spanish Sovereigns. — Prepara- 
tions for the Expedition at the Port of Palos, (1492,) 46 

CHAPTER X. 

Events of the First Voyage. — Discovery of Land, 
(^1492,) 52 

CHAPTER XI. 

First Landing of Columbus in the New World. — 
Cruise among the Bahama Islands. — Discovery of 
Cuba and Hispaniola, (1492,) 61 

CHAPTER XII. 

Coasting of Hispaniola. — Shipwreck, and other Oc 
currences at the Island, (1492,) 71 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Return Voyage. — Violent Storms. — Arrival in Portu- 
gal, (1493,) 80 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Visit of Columbus to the Court of Portugal. — Arrival 
at Palos, (1493,) 86 

CHAPTER XV. 

Reception of Columbus by the Spanish Sovereigns at 
Barcelona, (1493,) 92 

CHAPTER XVI 

Papal Bull of Partition. — ^Preparations for a Secoi»Q 
Voyage of Discovery, (1493,) 96 

CHAPTER XVII. 

Departure of Columbus on his Second Voyage of Dis- 
covery. — Arrival at Hispaniola, (1493,) . . . 102 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Fate of the Fortress of La Navidad. — Transactions at 
the Harbor, (1493,) 106 



CONTENTS. IX 

CHAPTER XIX. 

Foubding of the City of Isabella. — Discontents of the 
People, (1493,) 112 

CHAPTER XX. 

Expedition of Columbus into the Interior of Hispan- 
iola, (M94,) H"^ 

CHAPTER XXI. 

Customs and Characteristics of the Natives, 120 

CHAPTER XXII. 

Sickness and Discontent at the Settlement of Isabella. 
— Preparations of Columbus for a Voyage to Cuba, 
(1494,) 126 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

Cruise of Columbus along the Southern Coast of Cu- 
ba, (1494,) ir 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

Return Voyage, (1494,) 134 

CHAPTER XXV. 

Events in the Island of Hispaniola. — Insurrections of 
the Natives. — Expedition of Ojeda against Caona- 
bo, (1494,) 138 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

Battle of the Vega.— Imposition of Tribute, (1494,) 148 
CHAPTER XXVII. 

Arrival of the Commissioner Aguado. — Discovery of 
the Gold Mines of Hayna, (1495,) 153 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Return of Columbus to Spain. — Preparations for a 
Third Voyage, (1496,) 159 

CHAPTER XXIX. 

Discovery of Trinidad, and the Coast of Paria. — Ar- 
rival at San Domingo, (1498,) ■ . . 166 



X CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XXX. 
Administration of the Adelantado, .... .171 

CHAPTER XXXI. 
Rebellion of Roldan, (1498,) 181 

CHAPTER XXXn. 

Visit of Ojeda to the West End of the Island, — Con- 
spiracy of Moxica. — His Execution, (1499,) . . 189 

CHAPTER XXXIII. 

Intrigues against Columbus in the Spanish Court. — 
Appointment of Bobadilla as Commissioner. — His 
Arrival at San Domingo, (1500,) . . ... 195 

CHAPTER XXXIV. 

Columbus arrested and sent to Spain, in Chains, 
(1500,) 200 

CHAPTER XXXV. 

Arrival of Columbus in Spain. — His Interview with 
the Sovereigns. — Appointment of Ovando to the 
Government of Hispaniola, (1500,) 204 

CHAPTER XXXVI. 

Proposition of Columbus for a Crusade. — His Pre- 
parations for a Fourth Voyage, (1500, 1501,) , 211 

CHAPTER XXXVII. 

Columbus sails on His Fourth Voyage. — Events at 
the Island of Hispaniola. — His Search after an Im- 
aginary Strait, (1502,) 214 

CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

Return to the Coast of Veragua. — Contests with the 
Natives, (1502,) 221 

CHAPTER XXXIX. 

Disasters of the Settlement, (1503,) . , 228 

CHAPTER XL. 

Voyage to Jamaica. — Transactions at that Island, 
0503.^ 233 



CONTENTS. XI 

CHAPTER XLI. 

Mutiny of Porras. — Eclipse of the Moon. — Stratagem 
of Columbus to procure Supplies of the Indians, 
(1503,) 238 

CHAPTER XLll. 

Arrival of Diego de Escobar at the Harbor. — Battle 
with the Rebels, (1504,) 243 

CHAPTER XLHI. 

Voyage of Diego Mendez to Hispaniola. — Deliver- 
ance of Columbus from the Island of Jamaica, 
(1504,) 247 

CHAPTER XLIV. 

Affairs at Hispaniola, during the Administration oi 
Ovando. — Return of Columbus to Spain, (1 504,'^ 251 

CHAPTER XLV. 

Fruitless Application of Columbus to be reinstated in 
His Government. — His Last Illness and Death, 
(1504,) 257 

CHAPTER XLVI. 

Observations on the Character of Columbus, . . 265 

A Visit TO Palos, the Pinzons, 271 

Appendix. — Obsequies of Columbus. .... 290 

Note, Duke of Veraguas, . . 291 



NOTICE OF THE PLATES. 

TnK portrait of Columbus is from an Italian work, published in 
Rome, in 1596, entitled ' Ritratti de cento capitani illustri !iitugliati da 
Aliprando Capriole' It is considered by the Duke of Veraguas, the 
lineal descendant of Columbus, and by other capable judges, to be the 
most probable portrait extant of the discoverer. To face the title page. 

The representation of a Spanish galley, in the title-page, is copied 
from the tomb of Fernando Columbus, in the cathedral of Seville. 

The terrestrial globe, of which a segment is given, was made at 
Nuremburg, in the year 1492, the very year in which Columbus de- 
parted on his first voyage of discovery. Martin Behem, the inventor, 
was one of the most learned cosmographers of the time, and, having 
resided at Lisbon in the employ of the King of Portugal, he had prob- 
ably seen the map of Toscanelli, and the documents submitted by 
Columbus to the consideration of the Portuguese government. His 
globe may, therefore, be presumed illustrative of the idea entertained 
by Columbus of the islands in the ocean near the extremity of Asia 
at the time he undertook his discovery. To face page 20. 

The sketch of a galley coasting the island of Hispaniola is from an 
illustration of a letter written by Columbus to Don Raphael Xansis, 
treasurer of the King of Spain. An extremely rare edition of the 
letter exists in the public library of Milan. The original sketch is 
supposed to have been made with a pen by Columbus. To face page 72. 

Town of Palos, whence Columbus set sail for the discovery of 
America, with the Church of St. George. Page 271. 

Country Seat of the Pinzons. Page 284. 

Old House, belonging to the Pinzon Family. Page 2S6. 



yv 



CHAPTER I. 

Birlh^ Parentage, Education, and Early Life oj 
Columbus. 

Christopher Columbus, or Colombo, as the name 
is written in Italian, was a native of Genoa, born about 
the year 1435, of poor but reputable and meritorious 
parentage. He was the son of Domenico Colombo, a wool- 
comber, and Susanna Fontanarossa, his wife ; and his 
ancestors seem to have followed the same trade for sev- 
eral generations in Genoa. Attempts have been made to 
prove him of illustrious descent, and several noble houses 
have laid claim to him since his name has become so 
renowned as to confer rather than receive distinction. It 
is possible some of them may be in the right, for the feuds 
in Italy in those ages had broken down and scattered many 
of the noblest families, and while some branches remained 
in the lordly heritage of castles and domains, others were 
confounded with the humblest population of the cities. 
The fact, however, is not material to his fame; and it is 
a higher proof of merit to be the object of contention 
among various noble families, than to be able to substan- 
tiate the most illustrious lineage. His son Fernando had 
a true feeling on the subject. "I am of opinion," says 
ho, "that I should derive less dignity from any nobility 
of ancestry, than from being the son of such a father." 

Columbus was the oldest of four children; having two 
brothers, Bartholomew and Giacomo, or, as his name is 
translated into Spanish, Diego, and one sister, of whom 
nothing is known, excepting that she was married to a 
person in obscure life, called Giacomo Bavarello. 

While very young, Columbus was taught reading, wri- 
ting, grammar, and arithmetic, and made some proficien- 
cy in drawing He soon evinced a strong passion for 



10 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

geographical knowledge, and an irresistible inclination 
for the sea; and in afterlife, when he looked back upon 
his career with a solemn and superstitious feeling, he 
regarded this early determination of his mind as an im- 
pulse from the Deity, guiding him to the studies, and 
inspiring him with the inclinations, proper to fit him for 
the high decrees he was destined to accomplish. His 
father, seeing the bent of his mind, endeavored to give 
him an education suitable for maritime life. He sent him, 
therefore, to the university of Pavia, where he was instruct- 
ed in geometry, geography, astronomy, and navigation; 
he acquired also a familiar knowledge of the Latin tongue, 
which at that time was the medium of instruction, and 
the language of the schools. He remained but a short 
time at Pavia, barely sufficient to give him the rudiments 
of the necessary sciences; the thorough acquaintance 
with them which he displayed in afterlife, must have been 
the result of diligent self-schooling, and of casual hours 
of study, amidst the cares and vicissitudes of a rugged 
and wandering life. He was one of those men of strong 
natural genius, who appear to form themselves ; who, 
from having to contend at their very outset with priva- 
tions and impediments, acquire an intrepidity in braving 
and a facility in vanquishing difficulties. Such men learn 
to effect great purposes widi small means, supplying the 
deficiency of the latter by the resources of their own ener- 
gy and invention. This is one of the remarkable fea- 
tures in the history of Columbus. In every undertaking, 
the scantiness and apparent insufficiency of his means 
enhance the grandeur of iiis achievements. 

Shortly after leaving the university, he entered into 
nautical life, and, according to his own account, began to 
navigate at fourteen years of age. A complete obscurity 
rests upon this part of his history. It is supposed he 
made his first voyages with one Colombo, a hardy captain 
of the seas, who had risen to some distinction by his 
bravery, and who was a distant connexion of his family. 
This veteran is occasionally mentioned in old chronicles; 
sometimes as commanding a squadron of his own, some- 
times as neins; an admiral in the Genoese service. He 



OF COLUMBUS. 1 I 

appears to have been bold and adventurous, ready to fighi 
in any cause, and to seek quarrel wherever it might law- 
fully be found. 

The seafaring life in those days was peculiarly full of 
hazard and enterprise. Even a commercial expedition 
resembled a warlike cruise, and the maritime merchant 
had often to fight his way from port to port. Piracy was 
almost legalized. The frequent feuds between the Italian 
states; the cruisings of the Catalonians; the armadas fit 
ted out by noblemen, who were petty sovereigns in their 
own domains; the roving ships and squadrons of private 
adventurers; and the holy wars waged with the Mohame- 
dan powers, rendered the narrow seas, to which navigation 
was principally confined, scenes of the most hardy encoun- 
ters and trying reverses. Such was the rugged school in 
which Columbus was reared, and such the rugged teacher 
that first broke him in to naval discipline. 

The first voyage in which we hear any account of his 
being engaged, was in a naval expedition fitted out at 
Genoa in 1459, by John of Anjou, Duke of Calabria, to 
make a descent upon Naples, in the hope of recovering 
that kingdom for his father. King Reinier or Renato, 
otherwise called Rene, Count de Provence. In this 
enterprise the republic of Genoa aided with ships and 
money, and many private adventurers fitted out ships and 
galleys, and engaged under the banners of Anjou. Among 
the number was the hardy veteran Colombo, who had 
command of a squadron, and with him sailed his youthful 
relation. 

The struggle of John of Anjou for the crown of Naples 
lasted about four years, with varied fortune, and much 
hard service. The naval part of the expedition distin- 
guished itself by various acts of intrepidity, and when 
the unfortunate duke was at length reduced to take refuge 
in the island of Ischia, a handful of galleys loyally adhered 
to him, guarded the island, and scoured and controlled 
the whole bay of Naples. It is presumed that Columbus 
served on board of this squadron. That he must have 
distinguished himself in the course of the expedition, is 
evident, from his having been at one time appointed to a 



a2 the life and voyages 

separate command, and sent on a daring enterprise to cul 
out a galley from the port of Tunis, in the course of 
which he exhibited great resolution and address. 

There is an interval of several years, during which we 
have but one or two shadowy traces of Columbus, who 
is supposed to have been principally engaged in the Medi- 
terranean, and up the Levant, sometimes in voyages of 
commerce, sometimes in warlike contests between the 
Italian states, sometimes in pious and predatory expedi- 
tions against the Infidels, during which time he was often 
under the perilous command of his old fighting relation, 
the veteran Colombo. 

The last anecdote we have of this obscure part of his 
life is given by his son Fernando. He says that his 
father sailed for some time with Colombo the younger, a 
famous corsair, nephew to the old admiral just mentioned, 
and apparently heir of his warlike propensities and prow- 
3ss, for Fernando affirms that he was so terrible for his 
deeds against the Infidels, that the Moorish mothers used 
to frighten their unruly children with his name. 

This bold rover waylaid four Venetian galleys, richly 
laden, on their return voyage from Flanders, and attacked 
them with his squadron on the Portuguese coast between 
Lisbon and Cape St. Vincent. The battle lasted from 
morning until evening, with great carnage on both sides. 
The vessels grappled each other, and the crews fought 
hand to hand, and from ship to ship. The vessel com- 
manded by Columbus was engaged with a huge Venetian 
galley. They threw hand grenades and other fiery mis- 
siles, and the galley was wrapt in flames. The vessels 
being fastened together by chains and iron grapplings, 
could not be separated, and both became a mere blazing 
mass, involved in one conflagration. The crews threw 
themselves into the sea. Columbus seized an oar which 
was floating near him, and being an expert swimmer, 
attained the shore, though full two leagues distant. It 
pleased God, adds his son Fernando, to give him strength, 
that he might preserve him for greater things. After 
recovering from his exhaustion, he repaired to Lisbon, 
where he found many of his Genoese countrymen, and 
was induced to take ud his residence 



OF COLUMBUS. 13 

Such is the account given by Fernando of his father's 
first arrival in Portugal; and it has been currently adopt- 
ed by modern historians; but on examining various his- 
tories of the times, the battle here described appears to 
have happened several years after the date of the arrival 
of Columbus in that country. That he was engaged in 
the contest is not improbable; but he had previously 
resided for some time in Portugal. In fact, on referring 
to the history of that kingdom, we shall find, in the great 
maritime enterprises in which it was at that time engaged, 
ample attractions for a person of his inclinations and pur- 
suits; and we shall be led to conclude, that his first visit 
to Lisbon was not the fortuitous result of a desperate 
adventure, but was undertaken in a spirit of liberal curi- 
osity, and in the pursuit of honorable foriine. 



CHAPTER II 



Progress of Discovery under Prince Henry of Portugal. 
— Residence of Columbus in Lisbon. — Ideas concern- 
ing Islands in the Ocean. 

The career of modern discovery had commenced 
shortly before the time of Columbus, and, at the period 
of which we are treating, was prosecuted with great 
activity by Portugal. The rediscovery of the Canary 
Islands, in the fourteenth century, and the occasional 
voyages made to them, and to the opposite shores of 
Africa, had first turned the attent'on of mankind in that 
direction. The grand impulse to discovery, however, 
was given by Prince Henry of Portugal, son of John the 
First, surnamed the Avenger, and Philippa of Lancaster, 
sister of Henry the Fourth of England. Having accom- 
panied his father into Africa, in an expedition against the 
Moors, he received much information at Ceuta concern- 
ing the coast of Guinea, and other regions entirely 
2 ' I. 



14 THE LIFE AJNO VOYAGES 

unknown to Europeans ; and conceived an idea that 
important discoveries were to be made, by navigating 
along the western coast of Africa. On returning to Por- 
tugal, he pursued the vein of inquiry thus accidentally 
opened. Abandoning the court, he retired to a country 
retreat in the Algarves, near to Sagres, in the neighbor-- 
hood of Cape St. Vincent, and in full view of the ocean. 
Here he drew round him men eminent in science, and 
gave iiimself up to those branches of study connected 
with the maritime arts. He made himself master of all 
the geographical knowledge of the ancients, and of the 
astronomical science of the Arabians of Spain. The 
result of his studies was a firm conviction that Africa was 
circumnavigabJe, and that it was possible, by keeping 
along its shores, to arrive at India. 

For a long time past, the opulent trade of Asia had 
been monopolized by the Italians; who had their commer- 
cial establishments at Constantinople, and in the Black 
Sea. Thither all the precious commodities of the East 
were conveyed by a circuitous and expensive internal 
route, to be thence distributed over Europe. The repub- 
lics of Venice and Genoa had risen to power and opu- 
lence, in consequence of this monopoly; their merchants 
emulated the magnificence of princes, and held Europe, 
in a manner, tributary to their commerce. It was the 
grand idea of Prince Henry, by circumnavigating Africa, 
to open an easier and less expensive route to the source 
of this commerce, to turn it suddenly into a new and sim- 
ple channel, and to pour it out in a golden tide upon his 
country. He was before the age in thought, and had to 
struggle hard against the ignorance and prejudices of 
mankind in the prosecution of his design. Navigation 
was yet in its infancy; mariners feared to venture far from 
the coast, or out of sight of its landmarks; and they 
looked with awe at the vast and unknown expanse of the 
Atlantic; they cherished the old belief that the earth at 
the equator was girdled by a torrid zone, separating the 
hemispheres by a region of impassive heat; and they had 
a superstitious belief, that whoever doubled Cape Bojador 
would never return. 



OF COLUMBUS. 15 

Prince Henry called in the aid of science to dispel 
these errors. He established a naval college and obser- 
vatory at Sagres, and invited thither the most eminent 
professors of the nautical faculties. The effects of this 
establishment were soon apparent. A vast improvement 
took place in maps and charts; the compass was brought 
into more general use; the Portuguese marine became 
signalized for its hardy enterprises; Cape Bojador was 
doubled; the region of the tropics penetrated and divest- 
ed of its fancied terrors; the greater part of the African 
coast, from Cape Blanco to Cape de Verde, explored, 
and the Cape de Verde and Azore Islands discovered. 
To secure the lull enjoyment of these territories, Henry 
obtained a papal bull, investing the crown of Portugal 
with sovereign authority over all the lands it might dis- 
cover in the Atlantic, to India inclusive. Henry died on 
the 13th of November, 1473, before he had accomplish- 
ed the great object of his ambition; but he had lived long 
enough to behold, through his means, his native country 
in a grand career of prosperity. He has been well de- 
scribed, as "full of thoughts of lofty enterprise, and acts 
of generous spirit." He bore for his device the mag- 
nanimous motto, "the talent to do good," the only talent 
wortiiy the ambition of princes. 

The fame of the Portuguese discoveries drew the 
attention of the world, and the learned, the curious, and 
the adventurous, resorted to Lisbon to engage in the 
enterprises continually fitting out. Among the rest, 
Columbus arrived there about the year 1470. He was 
at that time in the full vigor of manhood, and of an engag- 
ing presence; and here it may not be improper to draw 
his portrait, according to the minute descriptions given of 
him by his contemporaries. He was tall, well-formed, 
and muscular, and of an elevated and dignified demeanor. 
His visage was long, and neither full nor meager ; his 
complexion fair and freckled, and inclined to ruddy; his 
nose aquiline, his cheek bones were rather high, his eyes 
light gray, and apt to enkindle ; his whole countenance 
had an air of authority. His ban-, m his youthful days, 
was of a light color, but care and trouble soon turned it 



16 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

gray, and at thirty years of age it was quite white. He 
was moderate and simple in diet and apparel, eloquent in 
discourse, engaging and afiable with strangers, and of an 
amiableness and suavity in domestic life, that strongly 
attached his household to his person. His temper was 
naturally irritable; but he subdued it by the magnanimity 
of his spirit, comporting himself with a courteous and 
gentle gravity, and never indulging in any intemperance 
of language. Throughout his life, he was noted for a 
strict attention to the offices of religion; nor did his piety 
consist in mere forms, but partook of that lofty and sol- 
emn enthusiasm with which his whole character was 
strongly tinctured. 

While at Lisbon, he was accustomed to attend religious 
service at the chapel of the Convent of All Saints. Here 
he became acquainted with a lady of rank, named Dona 
Felipa, who resided in the convent. She was the daugh- 
ter of Bartolomeo Mofiis de Palestrello, an Italian cava- 
lier, lately deceased, who had been one of the most 
distinguished navigators under Prince Henry, and had 
colonized and governed the island of Porto Santo. The 
acquaintance soon ripened into attachment, and ended in 
marriage. It appears to have been a match of mere 
affection, as the lady had little or no fortune. 

The newly-married couple resided with the mother of 
the bride. The latter, perceiving the interest which her 
son-in-law took in nautical affairs, used to relate to him 
all she knew of the voyages and expeditions of her late 
hosband, and delivered to him all his charts, journals, and 
other manuscripts. By these means, Columbus became 
acquainted with the routes of the Portuguese, and their 
plans and ideas; and, having by his marriage and residence 
become naturalized in Portugal, he sailed occasionally in 
the expeditions to the coast of Guinea. When at home 
he supported his fam-ly by making maps and charts; and 
though his means were scanty, he appropriated a part to 
the education of his younger brothers, and the succor of 
his aged father a-t Cciioa. From Lisbon he removed for 
a time to the recently discovered island of Porto Santo, 
where his wife had inherited some property, and during 



OF COLUMBUS. 17 

his residence there she bore him a son, whom he named 
Diego. His wife's sister was married to Pedro Correo, 
a navigator of note, who had at one time been governor 
ol Porto Santo. In the famihar intercourse of domestic 
life, their conversation frequently turned upon the discov- 
eries of the Atlantic islands, and the African coasts, upon 
the long-sought for route to India, and upon the possi- 
bility of unknown lands existing in the west. It was a 
period of general excitement, with all who were connect- 
ed with maritime life, or who resided in the vicinity of 
ihe ocean. The recent discoveries had inflamed their 
imaginations, and had filled them with ideas of other islands 
of greater wealth and beauty, yet to be discovered in the 
boundless wastes of the xVlIantic. The opinions and 
fancies of the ancients were again put into circulation; 
the island of Antilla, and Plato's imaginary Atlantis, once 
more found firm believers; and a thousand rumors were 
spread of unknown islands casually seen in the ocean. 
Many of these were mere fables ; many of them had their 
origin in the self-deception of voyagers, whose heated 
fancies beheld islands in those summer clouds which lie 
along the horizon, and often beguile the sailor with the 
idea of distant land. The most singular instance of this 
kind of self-deception, or rather of optical delusion, is 
that recorded of the inhabitants of the Canaries. They 
imagined that from time to time they beheld a vast island 
to the westward, with lofty mountains and deep valleys. 
Nor was it seen in cloudy or dubious weather, but with 
all the distinctness with which distant objects may be 
discerned in the transparent atmosphere of a tropical cli- 
mate. It is true, it was only seen transiently, and at long 
intervals; while at other times, and in the clearest weath- 
er, not a vestige of It was visible ; but so persuaded were 
the people of the Canaries of its reality, that they obtained 
permission from the king of Portugal to fit out various 
expeditions In search of It. The Island, however, was 
never to be found, though it still continued occasionally 
to cheat the eye; many Identified it with a legendary 
island, said to have been discovered In the sixth century, 
by a Scottish priest of the name of St. Brandan, and it 
2* 



IS THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

was actually laid down in many maps of the times, by the 
name of St. Brandan, or St. Borondon. 

All these tales and rumors were noted down with 
curious care by Columbus, and may have had some in- 
fluence over his imagination; but, though of a visionary 
spirit, his penetrating genius sought in deeper sources for 
the aliment of its meditations. The voyages he had 
made to Guinea, and his frequent occupation in making 
maps and charts, had led him more and more to specu- 
late on the great object of geographical enterprise ; but 
while others were slowly and painfully seeking a route to 
India, by following up tiie coast of Africa, his daring 
genius conceived the bold idea of turning his prow direct- 
ly to the west, and seeking the desired land by a route 
across the Atlantic. Having once conceived this idea, 
it is interesting to notice from what a mass of acknow- 
ledged facts, rational hypotheses, fanciful narrations, and 
popular rumors, his grand project of discovery was 
wrought out by the strong workings of his vigorous mind. 



CHAPTER III. 

Grounds on which Columbus founded his Belief of the 
Existence of undiscovered Lands in the West. 

We have a record of the determination of Columbus 
to seek a western route to India, as early as the year 
1474, in a correspondence which he held with Paulo 
Toscanelli, a learned cosmographer of Florence; and he 
had doubtless meditated it for a long time previous. 
He was moved to this determination by a diligent study 
of all the geographical theories of the ancients, aided by 
his own experience, by the discoveries of the moderns, 
and the advancement of astronomical science. He sel 
it down as a fundamental principle, that the earth was a ter- 
raqueous globe, which might be travelled round from east 



OF COLUMBUS. 19 

to west, and that men stood foot to foot when on opposite 
points. The circumference from east to west, at the 
equator, he divided, according to Ptolemy, into twenty- 
four hours, of fifteen degrees each, making tlii'ee hun- 
dred and sixty degrees. Of these he imagined, compar- 
ing the globe of Ptolemy with the earlier map of Marinus 
of Tyre, that fifteen hours had been known to the an- 
cients, extending from the Canary or Fortunate Islands, 
to the city of Thinae in Asia, the western and eastern 
extremities of the known world. The Portuguese had 
advanced the western frontier one hour more by the dis- 
covery of the Azore and Cape de Verde Islands; still 
about eight hours, or one third of the circumference of the 
earth, remained to be explored. This space he imagin- 
ed to be occupied in a great measure by the eastern 
regions of Asia, which might extend so far as to approach 
the western shores of Europe and Africa. A navigator, 
therefore, by pursuing a direct course from east to west, 
must arrive at the extremity of Asia, or discover any 
intervening land. The great obstacle to be apprehend- 
ed, was from the tract of ocean that might intervene; 
but this could not be very wide, if the opinion of Alfra- 
ganus the Arabian were admitted, who, by diminishing 
the size of the degrees, gave to the earth a smaller cir- 
cumference than was assigned to it by other cosmogra- 
phers; a theory to which Columbus seems, generally, to 
have given much faith. He was fortified, also, by the 
opinion of Aristotle, Seneca, Pliny, and Strabo, who 
considered the ocean as but of moderate breadth, so that 
one might pass from Cadiz westward to the Indies in a 
few days. 

Columbus derived great support to his theory, also, 
from a letter which he received in 1474 from Paulo 
Toscanelli, the learned Florentine already mentioned, 
who was considered one of the ablest cosmographers of 
the day. This letter was made up from the narrative of 
Marco Polo, a Venetian traveller, who, in the fourteenth 
century, had penetrated the remote parts of Asia, far 
beyond the regions laid down by Ptolemy. Toscanelli 
pw ouraged Columbus in an intention which he had com- 



20 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

municated to him, of seeking India by a western course, 
assuring hirn that the distance could not be more than 
four thousand miles in a direct line from Lisbon to the 
province of Mangi, near Cathay, since ascertained to 
be the northern coast of China. Of this country a 
magniftcent description was given according to Marco 
Polo, who extols the power and grandeur of its sover- 
eign, the Great Khan, the splendor and magnitude of his 
capitals of Cambalu, and Quinsai, or Kinsay, and the 
wonders of the island of Cipango, or Zipangi, supposed 
to be Japan. This island he places opposite Cathay, 
far in the ocean, and represents it as abounding in gold, 
precious stones, and s])ices, and that the palace of the 
king was covered with plates of gold, as edifices in other 
countries are covered with sheets of lead. 

The work of INIarco Polo is deserving of this particu 
lar mention, from being a key to many of the ideas and 
speculations of Columbus. The territories of the Grand 
Khan, as described by the Venetian, were the objects 
of his diligent search in all his voyages; and in his cruis 
ings among the Antilles, he was continually flattering 
himself with the hopes of arri\ing at the opulent island of 
Cipango, and the shores of Mangi and Cathay. The 
letter of Paulo Toscanelli was accompanied by a map, 
projected partly according to Ptolemy, and partly ac- 
cording to the descriptions of Marco Polo. The east- 
ern coast of Asia was depicted in front of the coasts of 
Africa and Europe, with a moderate space of ocean be- 
tween them, in which were placed, at convenient distances, 
Cipango, Antilla and the other islands. By this conjec- 
tural map Columbus governed himself in his first voyage. 
Besides these learned authorities, Columbus was atten- 
tive to every gleam of information bearing upon his the- 
ory, that might be derived from veteran mariners, and the 
inhabitants of the lately discovered islands, who were 
placed, in a manner, on the frontier posts of geographical 
knowledge. One Antonio Leone, an inhabitant of Ma- 
deira, told him that in sailing westward one hundred 
leagues, he had seen three islands at a distance. A 
marinei of Port St. Mary, also, asserted, that in the 







^§bw 




J)artef A 
BT M-ua-ixisKueu 

prt'xafffif Is 

1 fi/Mfi'rs/ n-1- 





^.*^- 



OF COLUMBUS. 21 

course of a voyage to Ireland, he had seen kind to the 
west, which the ship's company took for some extreme 
part of Tartary. One Martin Vicenti, a pilot in the 
service of the king of Portugal, assured Columbus that, 
after sailing four hundred and fifty leagues to the west of 
Cape St. Vincent, he had taken from the water a piece 
of carved wood, evidently not labored with an iron instru 
ment. As the wind had drifted it from the west, it might 
have come from some unknown land in that direction. 

Pedro Correo, brother-in-law of Columbus, also in- 
formed him, that he had seen a similar piece of wood, 
on the island of Porto Santo, which had drifted from the 
same quarter, and he had heard from the king of Portu- 
gal that reeds of an immense size had floated to those 
islands from the west, which Columbus supposed to be 
the kind of reeds of enormous magnitude described by 
Ptolemy as growing in India. Trunks of huge pine 
trees, of a kind that did not grow upon any of the islands, 
had been wafted to the Azores by westerly winds. The 
inhabitants also informed him that the bodies of two dead 
men had been cast upon the island of Flores, whose fea- 
tures had caused great wonder and speculation, being 
different from those of any known race of people. 

Such are the principal grounds on which, according to 
Fernando Columbus, his father proceeded from one po- 
sition to another of his theory. It is evident, however, 
that the grand argument which induced him to his enter- 
prise, was the one first cited ; namely, that the most 
eastern part of Asia known to the ancients could not be 
separated from the Azores by more than a third of the 
circumference of the globe; that the intervening space 
must, in a great measure, be filled up by the unknown 
residue of Asia ; and that, as the circumference of the 
world was less than was generally supposed, the Asiatic 
shores could easily be attained by a moderate voyage to 
the west. It is singular how much the success of this 
great enterprise depended upon two happy errors, the 
imaginary extent of Asia to the east, and the supposed 
smallness of the earth ; both errors of the most learned 
and profound philosophers, but without which Colurrhns 



' 22 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

would hardly have ventured into the western regions of 
the Atlantic, in whose unknown and perhaps immeasura- 
ble waste of waters, he might perish before he could 
reach a shore. 

When Columbus had once formed his theory, it be- 
came fixed in his mind with singular firmness. He never 
spoke in doubt or hesitation, but with as much certainty 
as if his eyes had beheld the Promised Land. A deep 
religious sentiment mingled with his thoughts, and gave 
them at times a tinge of superstition, but of a sublime 
and lofty kind. He looked upon himself as standing in 
the hand of heaven, chosen from among men for the 
accomplishment of its high purpose; he read, as he sup- 
posed, his contemplated discovery foretold in Holy Writ, 
and shadowed forth darkly in the prophecies. The ends 
of the earth were to be brought together, and all nations, 
and tongues, and languages, united under the banners of 
the Redeemer. 

The enthusiastic nature of his conceptions gave an 
elevation to his spirit, and a dignity and loftiness to his 
whole demeanor. He conferred with sovereigns almost 
with a feeling of equality. His proposed discovery was 
of empires; his conditions were proportionally magnifi- 
cent, nor would he ever, even after long delays, repeat- 
ed disappointments, and when under the pressure of actu- 
al penury, abate what appeared to others extravagant 
demands. Those who could not conceive how an ardent 
and comprehensive mind could arrive by presumptive 
evidence at so firm a conviction, sought for other modes 
of accounting for it; and gave countenance to an idle tale 
of his having received previous information of the western 
world, from a tempest-tost pilot, who had died in his house, 
bequeathing him written accounts of an unknown land 
in the west, upon which he had been driven by adverse 
winds. This, and other attempts to cast a shade upon 
his fame, have been diligently examined and refuted; 
and it appears evident that his great enterprise was the 
bold conception of his genius, quickened by the impulse 
of the age, and aided by those scattered gleams of know-' 
ledge, which fall ii 'effectually upon ordinary minds. 



OF COLUMBUS. 33 



CHAPTER IV. 

Events in Portugal relative to Discovery. — Propositions 
of Columbus to the Portuguese Court. 

While the design of attempting the discovery in the 
west was maturing in the mind of Columbus, he made a 
voyage to the northern seas, to the island of Thule, to 
which the English navigators, particularly those of Bris- 
tol, were accustomed to resort on account of its fishery. 
He even advanced, he says, one hundred leagues beyond, 
penetrated the polar circle, and convinced himself of the 
fallacy of the popular belief, that the frozen zone was 
uninhabitable. The island thus mentioned by him as 
Thule is generally supposed to have been Iceland, which 
is far to the west of the Ultima Thule of the ancients, as 
laid down on the map of Ptolemy. Nothing more is 
known of this voyage, in which we discern indications 
of that ardent and impatient desire to break away from 
the limits of the old world, and launch into the unknown 
regions of the ocean. 

Several years elapsed without any decided effort on 
the part of Columbus to carry his design into execution. 
An enterprise of the kind required the patronage of some 
sovereign power, which could furnish the necessary 
means, could assume dominion over the lands to be dis- 
covered, and could ensure suitable rewards and dignities 
to the discoverer. 

The cause of discovery had languished during the lat- 
ter part of the reign of Alphonso of Portugal, who was 
too much engrossed with his wars with Spain, to engage 
in peaceful enterprises of great cost and doubtful result. 
Navigation also was still too imperfect for so perilous an 
undertaking as that proposed by Columbus. Discovery 
advanced slowly alorig the coasts of Africa; and, though 
the compass had been introduced into more general use, 



24 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

yet mariners rarely ventured far out of sight of land; 
they even feared to cruise far into the southern hemis- 
phere, with the stars of which they were totally unac- 
quainted. To such men, therefore, the project of a 
voyage directly westward, in quest of some imagined 
land in the boundless wastes of the ocean, appeared as 
extravagant, as it would at the present day to launch forth 
in a balloon into the regions of space, in quest of some 
distant star. 

The time, however, was at hand, that was to extend 
the power of navigation. The era was propitious to the 
quick advancement of knowledge. The recent inven- 
tion of printing, enabled men to communicate rapidly 
and extensively their ideas and discoveries. It multi- 
plied and spread abroad, and placed in every hand, those 
volumes of information, which had hitherto existed only 
in costly manuscripts, treasured up in the libraries of 
colleges and convents. At this juncture, John the Second 
ascended the throne of Portugal. He had imbibed the 
passion for discovery from his grand-uncle, Prince Hen- 
ry, and with his reign all its activity revived. The recent 
attempts to discover a route to India, had excited an 
eager curiosity concerning the remote parts of the East, 
and had revived all the accounts, true and fabulous, of 
travellers. Among these, were the tales told of the 
renowned Prester John, a Christian king, said to hold 
sway in a remote part of the East, but whose kingdom 
seemed to baffle research as effectually as the unsubstan- 
tial island of St. Brandan. All the fables and dreamy 
speculations, concerning this shadowy potentate, and his 
oriental realm, were again put in circulation. It was 
fancied that traces of his empire had been discerned in 
the interior of Africa, to the east of Benin, where there 
was a powerful prince, who used a cross among the insig- 
nia of royalty; and John the Second, in the early part of 
his reign, actually sent missions in qi est of the visionary 
Prester John. 

Impatient of the tardiness with vvhich his discoveries 
advanced along the coast of Africa, and eager to realize 
the splendid project of Prince Henry, and conduct the 



OF COLUMBUS. 25 

Portuguese flag into the Indian seas, John the Second call- 
ed upon his men of science, to devise some means of giv- 
ing greater scope and certainty to navigation. His two 
physicians, Roderigo and Joseph, the latter a Jew, who 
were the most able astronomers and cosmographers of 
his kingdom, together with the celebrated Martin Behem, 
entered into a consultation on the subject; and the result 
of their conferences was, the application of the astrolabe 
to navigation. This instrument has since been improved 
and modified into the modern quadrant, of which, even 
at its first introduction, it possessed all the essential ad- 
vantages. This invention was one of those timely occur- 
rences which seem to have something providential in 
them. It was the one thing wanting to facilitate an inter- 
course across the deep, and to cast navigation loose from 
its long bondage to the land. Science had thus pre- 
pared guides for discovery across the trackless ocean, and 
had divested the enterprise of Columbus of that extreme- 
ly hazardous character, which had been so great an ob- 
stacle to its accomplishment. It was immediately after 
this event that he solicited an audience of the king of Por- 
tugal, to lay before him his great project of discovery. 
This is the first proposition of which we have any clear 
and indisputable record, although it has been strongly 
asserted, and with probability, that he had made one at 
an earlier period, to his native country, Genoa. 

Columbus obtained a ready audience of King John, 
who was extremely liberal in encouraging and rewarding 
nautical enterprise. He explained to the monarch his 
theory, and proposed, in case the king would furnish 
him with ships and men, to conduct them by a shorter 
route to the richest countries of the East, to touch at the 
opuiont island of Cipango, and to establish a communi- 
cation with the territories of the Grand Khan, the most 
splendid, powerful, and wealthy of oriential potentates. 

King John listened attentively to the proposition of 
Columbus, and referred it to a learned junto, composed 
of Masters Roderigo and Joseph, and the king's confes- 
sor, Diego Ortiz, bishop of Ceuta, a man greatly reputed 
for h>s learning, a Castilian by birth, and generally called 
3 1, 



26 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

Cazadilla, from the name of his birthplace. This sci- 
entific body treated the project as extravagant and vis- 
ionary. Still the king was not satisfied, but convoked 
his council, composed of persons of the greatest learning 
in the kingdom, and asked their advice. In this assem- 
bly, Cazadilla, the bishop of Ceuta, opposed the theory 
of Columbus, as destitute of reason, and indeed evinced 
a cold and narrow spirit, hostile to all discovery. The 
decision of the council was equally unfavorable with that 
of the junto, and the proposition of Columbus was re- 
jected. 

Certain of the counsellors, and particularly the bishop 
Cazadilla, seeing that the king was dissatisfied with their 
decision, and retained a lurking inclination for the enter- 
prise, suggested a stratagem by which all its advanta- 
ges might be secured, without committing the dignity of 
the crown by entering into formal negotiations about a 
scheme, which might prove a mere chimera. The king, 
in an evil hour, departed from his usual justice and 
generosity, and had the weakness to permit their strata- 
gem. These crafty counsellors then procured from Co- 
lumbus, as if to assist them in their deliberations, a 
detailed plan of his proposed voyage, with the charts by 
which he intended to shape his course. While they 
held him in suspense, awaiting their decision, they 
privately despatched a caravel to pursue the designated 
route! 

The caravel took its departure from the Cape de 
Verde Islands, and stood westward for several days. 
The weather grew stormy, and the pilots having no zeal 
to stimulate them, and seeing nothing but an immeasura- 
ble waste of wild tumbling waves, still extending before 
them, lost all courage, and j)ut back to the Cape de 
Verde Islands, and thence to Lisbon, excusing their 
own want' of resolution, by ridiculing the project as 
extravagant and irrational. 

This unworthy attempt to defraud him of his enterprise 
roused the indignation of Columbus, and, though King 
John, it is said, showed a disposition to renew the nego- 
tiation, lie reso!utel\ decli))e(l His wife had been for 



OP COLUMBUS. 27 

some tiijie dead; the domestic tie which had bound him 
to Portugal, therefore, being broken, he determined to 
abandon a country where he had been treated with so 
httle faith. Like most projectors, while engaged in 
schemes which held out promise of incalculable wealth, 
he had suffered his affairs to run to ruin, and was in 
danger of being arrested for debt. This has been given 
as the reason for his leaving Portugal in a secret manner, 
which he did towards the end of 1484, taking with him 
his son Diego, as yet a mere child. 

An interval now occurs of about a year, during which 
the movements of Columbus are involved in uncertainty. 
It has been asserted by a modern Spanish historian of 
merit, that he departed immediately for Genoa, where 
he repeated in person the proposition which he had for- 
merly made to the government by letter. The republic 
of Genoa, however, was languishing under a long decline, 
and was embarrassed by ruinous wars. Her spirit was 
broken with her fortunes; for with nations, as with indi- 
viduals, enterprise is the child of prosperity, and is apt 
to languish in evil days, when there is most need of its 
exertion. Thus, Genoa, it would appear, disheartened 
by reverses, rejected a proposition which would have 
elevated the republic to tenfold splendor, and might for a 
long time have perpetuated the golden wand of commerce 
in the failing grasp of Italy. 

From Genoa, it has been said, but equally without 
positive proof, that Columbus carried his proposal to 
Venice, but that it was declined in consequence of the 
critical state of national affairs. Different authors agree, 
that about this time he visited his aged father, and made 
such arrangements for his comfort as his own poor means 
afforded, and that having thus performed the duties of a 
pious son, he departed once more to try his fortunes in 
foreign courts. About this time, also, he engaged his 
brother Bartholomew to sail for England, to lay his pro- 
positions before Henry the Seventh, whom he had heard 
extolled for his wisdom and munificence. For himself, he 
sailed for Spain, where he appears to have arrived in great 
poverty T for this course of fruitless soUcitation had ex 



28 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

hausled all his means; nor is it one of the least extraor- 
dinary circumstances in his eventful life, that he had, in 
a manner, to beg his way from court to court, to offer to 
princes the discovery of a world. 



CHAPTER V. 



First Arrival of Columbus in Spain. — Character of the 
Spanish Sovereigns. 

The first trace we have of Columbus in Spain, is 
gathered from the manuscript documents of the celebrated 
lawsuit, which took place a few years after his death, 
between his son Don Diego and the crown. It is con- 
tained in the deposition of one Garcia Fernandez, a 
physician, resident in the little seaport of Palos de 
Moguer, in Andalusia. About half a league from Palos, 
on a solitary height overlooking the seacoast, and sur- 
rounded by a forest of pine trees, there stood, and stands 
at the present day, an ancient convent of Franciscan 
friars, dedicated to Santa Maria de Rabida. A stranger 
travelling on foot, accompanied by a young boy, stopped 
one day at the gate of the convent, and asked of the 
porter a little bread and water for his child. While 
receiving this humble refreshment, the guardian of the 
convent. Friar Juan Perez de Marchena, happening to 
pass by, was struck with the appearance of the stranger, 
and, observing from his air and accent that he was a 
foreigner, entered into conversation with him. That 
stranger was Columbus, accompanied by his young son 
Diego. He was on his way to the neighboring town of 
Huelva, to seek a brother-in-law, who had married a 
sister of his deceased wife. 

The guardian was an intelligent man, and acquainted 
with geographical and nautical science. He was interest- 
ed by the conversation of Columbus, and struck with the 



OF COLUMBUS. 29 

grandeur of his plans. He detained him as his guest, and 
being diffident of his own judgement, sent for a scientific 
friend to converse with him. That friend was Garcia 
Fernandez, the physician of Palos, the same who fur- 
nishes this interesting testimony; and who became equally 
convinced with the friar of the correctness of the theory 
of Columbus. Several veteran pilots and mariners of 
Palos, also, were consulted during the conferences at the 
convent, who stated various facts observed in the course 
of their experience, which seemed to corroborate the idea 
of western lands in the Atlantic. But the conviction of 
the friar was still more confirmed, by the hearty concur- 
rence of an important personage in that maritime neigh- 
borhood, one Martin Alonzo Pinzon, resident of the town 
of Palos, one of the most intelligent sea captains of the 
day, and the head of a family of wealthy and distinguished 
navigators. Pinzon not only gave the project of Colum- 
bus his decided approbation, but offered to engage in it 
with purse and person. 

Fray Juan Perez, being now fully persuaded of the 
importance of the proposed enterprise, advised Columbus 
to repair to court, and make his propositions to the 
Spanish sovereigns, offering to give him a letter of recom- 
mendation to his friend, Fernando de Talavera, prior of 
the convent of Prado, and confessor to the queen, and a 
man of great pohtical influence, through whose means he 
would, no doubt, immediately obtain royal audience and 
favor. Martin Alonzo Pinzon, also, generously offered 
to furnish him with money for the journey, and the friar 
took charge of his youthful son, Diego, to maintain and 
educate him in the convent. Thus aided and encouraged, 
and elated with fresh hopes, Columbus took leave of the 
little junto at La Rabida, and set out, in the spring of 
1486, for the Castilian court, which had just assembled 
at Cordova, where the sovereigns were fully occupied 
with their chivalrous enterprise for the conquest of Grana- 
da. And here it is proper to give a brief description of 
these princes, who performed such an important part in 
the events of this history. 

It has been well observed of Ferdinand and Isabella. 
3* 



30 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

that they lived together, not like man and wife, whose 
estates are in common, under the orders of the husband, 
but like two monarchs, strictly allied. They had sepa- 
rate claims to sovereignty, in virtue of their separate 
kingdoms, and held separate councils. Yet they were so 
happily united by common views, common interests, and 
a great deference for each other, that this double admin- 
istratioQ never prevented a unity of purpose and action. 
All acts of sovereignty were executed in both their names; 
all public writings subscribed with both their signatures; 
their likenesses were stamped together on the public 
coin; and the royal seal displayed the united arms of 
Castile and Arragon. 

Ferdinand possessed a clear and comprehensive genius, 
and great penetration. He was equable in temper, inde- 
fatigable in business, a great observer of men, and is 
extolled by Spanish writers as unparalleled in the science 
of the cabinet. It has been maintained by writers of 
other nations, however, and apparently with reason, that 
he was bigoted in religion, and craving rather than mag- 
nanimous in his ambition; that he made war less like a 
paladin than a prince, less for glory than for mere domin- 
ion; and that his policy was cold, selfish, and artful. He 
was called the wise and prudent in Spain; in Italy, the 
pious; in France and England, the ambitious and perfidi- 
ous. 

Contemporary writers have been enthusiastic in their 
descriptions of Isabella, but time has sanctioned their 
eulogies. She was of the middle size, and well formed; 
with a fiir complexion, auburn hair, and clear blue eyes. 
There was a mingled gravity and sweetness in her coun- 
-.enance, and a singular modesty, gracing, ^s it did, great 
firmness of purpose and earnestness of spirit. Though 
strongly attached to her husband, and studious of his 
fame, yet she always maintained her distinct rights as an 
allied prince. She exceeded him in beauty, personal 
dignity, acuteness of genius, and grandeur of soul. Com- 
bining the active and resolute qualities of man, with the 
softer charities of woman, she mingled in the warlike 
councils of her husband, and, being inspired with a truer 



OP COLUMBUS. 31 

idea of glory, infused a more lofty and generous temper 
into his subtle and calculating policy. 

It is in the civil history of their reign, however, that 
the character of Isabella shines most illustrious. Her 
fostering and maternal care was continually directed to 
reform the laws, and heal the ills engendered by a long 
course of civil wars. She assembled round her the ablest 
men in literature and science, and directed herself by 
their counsels in encouraging hterature and the arts. She 
promoted the distribution of honors and rewards for the 
promulgation of knowledge, fostered the recently invent- 
ed art of printing, and through her patronage Salamanca 
rose to that eminence which it assumed among the learned 
institutions of the age. Such was the noble woman who 
was destined to acquire immortal renown by her spirited 
patronage of the discovery of the new world. 



CHAPTER VI. 

Propositions of Columbus to the Court of Castile 

When Columbus arrived at Cordova, he found it in all 
the bustle of military preparation. The two rival Moor- 
ish kings of Granada had formed a coahtion, and the 
Castilian sovereigns had summoned all their chivalry to 
assemble for a grand campaign. Every day witnessed 
the arrival of some Spanish noble, with a splendid reti- 
nae, and a brilliant array of household troops. The court 
was like a military camp; every avenue was crowded 
by warhke grandees and hardy cavaliers, who had dis- 
tinguished themselves in this Moorish war. This was an 
unpropitious moment for an application like that of Co- 
lumbus. Every body was engrossed by the opening 
campaign. Even Fernando de Talavera, who was to 
have been his great patron and protector, and his organ 
of communication with the sovereigns, was completely 



32 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

taken up with military concerns, being one of the clerical 
advisers, who surrounded the queen in this, as it was 
termed, holy war. The letter of recommendation from 
the worthy Fray Juan Perez, which was to have secured 
the powerful influence of Talavera, seems to have had 
but little effect upon the prior, who listened coldly to 
Columbus, and looked upon his plan as extravagant and 
impossible. 

So far, therefore, from receiving immediate patronage 
from the sovereigns, Columbus found it impossible to 
obtain even a hearing. It is a question even, whether, 
for some time, his application reached their ears. If 
Fernando de Talavera did mention it to them, it must 
have been in disparaging terms, such as rather to destroy 
than excite interest in its favor. The campaign opened 
almost immediately; the king took the field in person; 
the queen was fully occupied by the hurrying concerns 
of the war, and was part of the time present in the camp; 
it would have been in vain, therefore, at such a moment, 
to expect attention to a scheme of foreign discovery, 
founded on principles which required calm and learned 
investigation. 

During the summer and autumn of 1486, Columbus 
remained at Cordova, waiting for a more favorable op- 
portunity to urge his suit, and trusting to time and assi- 
duity to gain him converts among the intelligent and 
powerful. He was in indigent circumstances, and earned 
a scanty support by making maps and charts. He had 
to contend also against the ridicule of the light and the 
supercilious, which is one of the greatest obstacles to 
modest merit in a covu't. Some scoffed at him as a mere 
dreamer, others stigmatized him as an adventurer; the 
very children, it is said, pointed to their foreheads as he 
passed, being taught to consider him a kind of madman. 
Indeed, the slender interest on which he had founded his 
hopes of royal patronage, and the humble garb in which 
his poverty obliged him to appear, formed a preposterous 
contrast, in the eyes of the courtiers, with the magnificence 
of his speculations. "Because he was a foreigner," 
says Oviedo, "and went but in simple apparel, nor oth- 



OF COLUMBUS. 33 

erwise credited than by the letter of a gray friar, they 
beheved him not, neither gave ear to his words, whereby 
he was greatly tormented in his imagination." 

While thus lingering in Cordova, he became attached 
to Dona Beatrix Enriquez, a lady of that city, of a noble 
family. Like most of the circumstances of this part of 
his life, his connexion with this lady is wrapped in ob- 
scurity, but appears never to have been sanctioned by 
marriage. She was the mother of his second son Fer- 
nando, who became his historian, and whom he always 
treated on terms of perfect equality with his legitimate 
son Diego. 

By degrees, the theory of Columbus began to obtain 
proselytes. The attention of men of reflection was 
drawn to this solitary individual, who, almost unsupported, 
was endeavoring to make his way, with so singular a 
proposition, to the foot of the throne. Whoever con- 
versed with him, was struck by the dignity of his man- 
ners, the earnest sincerity of his discourse, and the force 
of his reasoning. Alonzo de Quintanilla, comptroller of 
the finances of Castile, became a warm advocate of his 
theory, and received him as a guest into his house. He 
was countenanced also by Antonio Geraldini, the pope's 
nuncio, and his brother, iVlexander Geraldini, preceptor 
to the younger children of Ferdinand and Isabella. By 
these friends he was introduced to the celebrated Pedro 
Gonzalez de Mendoza, archbishop of Toledo, and grand 
cardinal of Spain. This was the most important person- 
age about the court, he was always with the king and 
queen, who never took any measure of consequence 
without consulting him, and was facetiously called the 
third king of Spain. He was an elegant scholar, a man 
of sound understanding, and of great quickness and ca- 
pacity in business. The clear-headed cardinal was pleased 
with the noble and earnest manner of Columbus; he lis- 
tened to him with profound attention, felt the importance 
of his project and the force of his arguments, and became 
at once a firm and serviceable friend. Through his in- 
tercession the royal audience was at length obtained. 

Columbus appeared in the presence of the king with 



34 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

modesty, yet self-possession, inspired by a consciousness 
of the dignity and importance of his errand; for he felt 
himself, as he afterwards declared in his letters, animated 
as if by a sacred fire from above, and considered himself 
an instrument in the hand of heaven to accompHsh its 
grand designs. Ferdinand was too keen a judge of men 
not to appreciate the character of Columbus. He per- 
ceived, also, that his scheme had scientific and practical 
foundations; and his ambition was excited by the possi- 
bility of discoveries far exceeding in importance those 
which had shed such glory upon Portugal. Still, as 
usual, he was cool and wary. He ordered Fernando de 
Talavera, the prior of Prado, to assemble the most learned 
astronomers and cosmographers of the kingdom, to hold 
a conference with Columbus. They were to examine 
him upon the grounds of his theory, and afterwards to 
consult together, and report their opinion as to its merits. 
Columbus now considered the day of success at hand; he 
had been deceived by courtiers, and scoffed at as a vis- 
ionary by the vulgar and the ignorant; but he was now to 
appear before a body of the most learned and enlightened 
men, elevated, as he supposed, above all narrow prejudice 
and selfish interest, and capable of comprehending the 
full scope of his reasonings. From the dispassionate 
examination of such a body of sages, he could not but 
anticipate the most triumphant verdict. 



CHAPTER VII. 

Columbus before the Council at Salamanca. 

The interesting conference took place at Salamanca, 
the great seat of learning in Spain. It was held in the 
Dominican convent of St. Stephen, the most scientific 
college in the university, in which Columbus was lodged 
and entertained with great hospitality during the course 



OF COLUMBUS. 35 

of the examination. The board of conference was com- 
posed of professors of the university, together with vari- 
ous dignitaries of the church, and learned friars. No 
tribunal could bear a front of more imposing wisdom; yet 
Columbus soon discovered that ignorance and illiberahty 
may sometimes lurk under the very robes of science. 

The greater part of this learned junto, it would appear, 
came prepossessed against him, as men in place and dig- 
nity are apt to be against poor applicants. There is 
always a proneness to consider a man under examination 
as a kind of delinquent, or impostor, upon trial, who is 
to be detected and exposed. Columbus, too, appeared 
in a most unfavorable light before a scholastic body; an 
obscure navigator, member of no learned institution, des- 
titute of all the trappings and circumstances which some- 
times give oracular authority to dulness, and depending 
upon the mere force of natural genius. Some of the 
assembly entertained the popular notion, that he was an 
adventurer, or, at best, a visionary; and others had that 
morbid impatience of any innovation upon established 
doctrine, which is apt to grow upon dull and j^edantic 
men in cloistered hfe. The hall of the old convent pre- 
sented a striking spectacle. A simple mariner standing 
forth in the midst of an imposing array of clerical and 
collegiate sages; maintaining his theory with natural elo- 
quence, and, as it were, pleading the cause of the new 
world. We are told, that when he began to state the 
grounds of his theory, the friars of St. Stephen alone 
paid attention to him. The others appeared to have in- 
trenched themselves behind one dogged position, namely, 
that, after so many profound philosophers had occupied 
themselves in geographical investigations, and so many 
able navigators had been voyaging about the world for 
ages, it was a great presumption in an ordinary man to 
suppose that there remained such a vast discovery for him 
to make. 

Several of the objections opposed by this learned body 
have been handed down to us, and have provoked many 
a sneer at the expense of the university of Salamanca; 
but they are proofs rather of the imperfect state of so • 



36 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

ence at the time, and of the manner in which knowledge^ 
though rapidly advancing, was still impeded in its pro- 
gress by monastic bigotry. Thus, at the very threshold 
of the discussion, Columbus was assailed with citations 
from the Bible, and the works of the early fathers of the 
church, which were thought incompatible with his theo- 
ry; doctrinal points were mixed up with philosophical dis- 
cussions, and even a mathematical demonstration was 
allowed no truth, if it appeared to clash with a text of 
scripture, or a commentary of one of the fathers. Thus 
the possibility of the existence of antipodes in the south- 
ern hemisphere, though maintained by the wisest of the 
ancients, was disputed by some of the sages of Salaman- 
ca, on the authority of Lactantius and St. Augustine, 
those two great luminaries of what has been called the 
golden age of ecclesiastical learning. "Is there any one 
so fooHsh," asks Lactantius, "as to believe that there 
are antipodes with their feet opposite to ours ; people 
who walk with their heels upward and their heads hang- 
ing down? That there is a part of the world in which 
all things are topsy-turvy ; where the trees grow with 
their branches downward, and where it rains, hails, and 
snows upwards .'' The idea of the roundness of the 
earth," he adds, " was the cause of inventing this fable; 
for these philosophers, having once erred, go on in their 
absurdities, defending one with another." 

Objections of a graver nature, and more dignified 
tone, were advanced on the authority of St. Augustine. 
He pronounces the doctrine of antipodes incompatible 
with the historical foundations of our faith; since, to as- 
sert that there were inhabited lands on the opposite side 
of the globe, would be to maintain that there were nations 
not descended from Adam, it being impossible for them 
to have passed the intervening ocean. This would be, 
therefore, to discredit the Bible, which expressly de- 
clares, that all men are descended from one common 
parent. 

Such were the unlooked-for prejudices which Colum- 
bus had to encounter, at the very outset of his confer- 
ence, and which certainly savor more of the convent than 



OF COLUMBUS. 37 

the university. To his simplest proposition, the spher- 
ical form of the earth, were opposed figurative texts of 
scripture. In the psalms, the heavens are said to be 
extended over the earth like a hide, that is to say, like 
the covering of a tent, which, among the ancient pasto- 
ral nations, was formed of the hides of animals. St. Paul 
also, in his epistle to the Hebrews, compares the heav- 
ens to a tabernacle or tent spread over the earth; hence 
these casuists maintained that the earth must be flat, like 
the bottom of the tent. Others admitted the globular 
form of the earth, and the possibility of an opposite and 
inhabitable hemisphere, but maintained that it would be 
impossible to arrive there, in consequence of the heat of 
the torrid zone. As for steering to the west in search 
of India, they observed that the circumference of the 
earth must be so great as to require at least three years 
to the voyage, and those who should undertake it must 
perish of hunger and thirst, from the impossibility of 
carrying provisions for so long a period. Not the least 
absurd objection advanced, was, that should a ship even 
succeed in reaching the extremity of India, she could 
never get back again, for the rotundity of the globe would 
present a kind of mountain, up which it would be impos- 
sible for her to sail with the most favorable wind. 

Such are specimens of the errors and prejudices, the 
mingled error and erudition, with which Columbus had 
to contend, throughout the examination of his theory. 
Many of these objections, however, which appear so 
glaringly absurd at the present day, were incident to the 
imperfect state of knowledge at the time. The rotundity 
of the earth was as yet a matter of mere speculation ; no 
one could tell whether the ocean were not of too vast 
extent to be traversed; nor were the laws of specific 
gravity, and of central gravitation, ascertained, by which, 
granting the earth to be a sphere, the possibihty of making 
the tour of it would be manifest. 

When Columbus took his stand before this learned 

body, he had appeared the plain and simple navigator, 

somewhat daunted, perhaps, by the greatness of his task, 

and the august nature of his auditory ; but he had a degree 

4 I. 



38 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

of religious feeling, which gave him a confidence in the 
execution of what he conceived his great errand, and he 
was of an ardent temperament, that became heated in 
action by its own generous fires. All the objections 
drawn from ancient philosophers, he met boldly and upon 
equal terms, for he was deeply studied on all points of 
cosmography, and he disproved many by his own expe- 
rience, gathered in the course of his extensive voyages, 
in which he had penetrated both the torrid and the frozen 
zone. Nor was he to be daunted by the scriptural diffi- 
culties opposed to him, for here he was peculiarly at 
home. His contemporaries have spoken of his command- 
ing person, his elevated demeanor, his air of authority, 
his kindling eye, and the persuasive intonations of his 
voice. How must they have given majesty and force to 
his words, as, casting aside his maps and charts, and 
discarding, for a time, his practical and scientific lore, 
his visionary spirit took fire, and he met his doctrinal 
opponents upon their own ground, pouring forth those 
magnificent texts of scripture, and those mysterious pre- 
dictions of the prophets, which, in his enthusiastic mo- 
ments, he considered as types and annunciations of the 
sublime discovery which he proposed! 

It is but justice to add, that many of his learned hear- 
ers were convinced by his reasoning, and warmed by his 
eloquence; among the number of these was Diego de 
Deza, a worthy friar of the order of St. Dominic, at that 
time professor of theology in the convent of St. Stephen, 
but who became afterwards archbishop of Seville, the 
second ecclesiastical dignity of Spain. He was an able 
and erudite man, above the narrow bigotry of bookish 
lore, and could appreciate the value of wisdom, even 
when uttered by unlearned lips. He seconded Columbus 
with all his powers and influence, and by their united 
efforts, they brought over several of the most intelligent 
men of the assembly. Still there was a preponderating 
mass of inert bigotry, and learned pride, in the erudite 
body, which refused to yield to the demonstrations of an 
obscure foreigner, without fortune or connexions, or any 
academic honors. After this celebrated examination of 



OP COLUMBUS. 39 

Colambus, the board held occasional conferences, but 
without coming to any decision; Fernando de Talavera, 
to whom the matter was especially intrusted, had too 
little esteem for it, and was too much occupied by the 
stir and bustle of public concerns, to press it to a con- 
clusion; his departure with the court from Cordova, early 
in the spring of 1487, put an end to the consultations, 
and left Columbus in a state of the most tantalizing sus- 
pense. 

For several years he followed the movements of the 
court, continually flattered with hopes of success. Con- 
ferences were appointed at various places, but the tem- 
pest of warlike affairs, which hurried the court from 
place to place, and gave it the bustle and confusion of a 
camp, continually swept away all matters of less imme- 
diate importance. It has generally been supposed that 
these years of irksome solicitation were spent by Colum- 
bus in the drowsy attendance of antichambers; but, on 
the contrary, they were passed amidst scenes of peril 
and adventure, and, in following the court, he was led 
into some of the most striking situations of this wild, 
rugged and mountainous war. In one of the severest 
campaigns, he is said to have distinguished himself by 
his personal prowess. He was present at the sieges and 
surrenders of Malaga and Baza, and beheld El Zagal, 
the elder of the two rival kings of Granada, yield up his 
crown and possessions to the Spanish sovereigns. During 
the siege of Baza, two reverend friars, guardians of the 
holy sepulchre at Jerusalem, arrived in the Spanish 
camp, bearing a menace from the Grand Soldan of Egypt, 
that he would put to death all the Christians in his 
dominions, and destroy the sepulchre, if the sovereigns 
did not desist from the war against the Moslems of 
Granada. It is probable that the pious indignation ex- 
cited by this threat in the bosom of Columbus, gave the 
first rise to a resolution which he entertained to the day 
of his death; this was, to devote the profits which he 
anticipated from his discoveries, to a crusade for the 
rescue of the holy sepulchre. 

During this long course of application, Columbus 



40 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

partly defrayed his expenses by making maps and charts. 
He was occasionally assisted, also, by the purse of the 
worthy Friar Diego de Deza, and was sometimes a guest 
of Alonzo de Quintanilla. It is due to the sovereigns to 
say, also, that he was attached to the royal suite, and 
sums issued to defray his expenses, and lodgings pro- 
vided for him, when summoned to follow this rambling 
and warlike court. Whenever the sovereigns had an 
interval of leisure, there seems to have been a disposi- 
tion to attend to his proposition; but the hurry and tem- 
pest of the war returned, and the question was again 
swept away. 

At length, in the winter of 1491, when the sovereigns 
were preparing to depart on their final campaign in the 
vega of Granada, Columbus, losing all patience, pressed 
for a decisive reply, and Fernando de Talavera was 
ordered, therefore, to hold a final conference, and to 
report the decision of his learned brethren. He' obeyed, 
and informed their majesties that the majority of the junto 
condemned the scheme as vain and impossible, and con- 
sidered it unbecoming such great princes to engage in an 
undertaking of the kind, on such weak grounds as had 
been advanced. 

A degree of consideration, however, had gradually 
grown up at court for the enterprise, and notwithstanding 
this unfavorable report, the sovereigns were unwilling to 
close the door on a project which might be of such 
important advantages. They informed Columbus, there- 
fore, that the great cares and expenses of the war ren- 
dered it impossible for them to engage in any new enter- 
prises for the present; but that, when the war should be 
concluded, they would have leisure and inclination to 
treat with him concerning his propositions. 

This was but a starved reply to receive after so many 
years of weary attendance; Columbus considered it a 
mere evasion of the sovereigns to relieve themselves 
from his importunity, and, giving up all hope of counte- 
nance from the throne, he turned his back upon Seville, 
filled with disappointment and indignation. 



OP COLUMBUS. 41 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Columbus seeks Patronage amongst the Spanish Gran- 
dees. — Returns to the Convent of La Rahida. — Resumes 
his Mgotiations vnth the Sovereigns. [1491.] 

Columbus now looked round in search of some other 
source of patronage. He had received favorable letters 
both from the kings of England and of France; the king 
of Portugal, also, had invited him to return to his court; 
but he appears to have become attached to Spain, proba- 
bly from its being the residence of Beatrix Enriquez 
and his children. He sought, therefore, to engage the 
patronage of some one of those powerful Spanish gran- 
dees, who had rast possessions, exercised feudal rights 
and were petty sovereigns in their domains. Among 
these, were the dukes of Medina Sidonia, and Medina 
Celi; both had principalities lying along the seaboard, 
with armies of vassals, and ports and shipping at their 
command. Columbus had many interviews with the 
duke of Medina Sidonia, who was tempted for a time by 
the splendid prospects held out; but their very splendor 
threw a coloring of exaggeration over the enterprise, 
and he finally rejected it as the dream of an Italian vis- 
ionary. 

The duke of Medina Celi was still more favorable, 
and was actually on the point of granting him three or 
four caravels which lay ready for sea, in his harbor of 
Port St. Mary; but he suddenly changed his mind, fearing 
to awaken the jealousy of the crown, and to be consid- 
ered as interfering with the views of the sovereigns, who 
he knew had been treating with Columbus. He advised 
him, therefore, to return once more to court, and he 
wrote a letter to the queen in favor of his project. 

Columbus felt averse to the idea of subjecting himself 
again to the tantalizing delays and disappointments of the 
4* 



42 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

court, and determined to repair to Paris. He departed, 
therefore, for the convent of La Rabida, to seek his 
oldest son Diego, and leave him with his other son at 
Cordova. 

When the worthy Friar Juan Perez de Marchena 
beheld Columbus arrive once more at the gate of his 
convent, after nearly seven years' fruitless sohcitation at 
the court, and saw, by the humility of his garb, the pov- 
erty he had experienced, he was greatly moved; but when 
he found that he was on the point of leaving Spain, and 
carrying his proposition to another country, his patriotism 
took the alarm. He had been confessor to the queen, 
and knew her to be always accessible to persons of his 
sacred calling. He wrote a letter to her, therefore, ear- 
nestly vindicating the proposed scheme, and conjuring 
her not to turn a deaf ear to a matter of such vast impor- 
tance; and he prevailed upon Columbus to delay his 
journey until an answer should be received. 

The ambassador chosen by the little junto of the con- 
vent was one Sebastian Rodriguez, a pilot of Lepe, who 
acquitted himself faithfully, expeditiously, and success- 
fully, in his embassy. He found access to the benignant 
princess in the royal camp at Santa Fe, before Granada, 
and delivered the epistle of the friar. He returned in 
fourteen days, with a letter from the queen, thanking 
Juan Perez for his timely services, and requesting him 
to repair immediately to the court, leaving Columbus in 
confident hope of hearing farther from her. This royal 
epistle caused great exultation in the convent. No sooner 
did the warm-hearted friar receive it, than he procured a 
mule, and departed instantly, before midnight, for the 
court. His sacred office, and his former relation as 
father confessor, gave him immediate admission to the 
queen, and great freedom of counsel. It is probable 
Isabella had never heard the proposition of Columbus 
urged with such honest zeal and impi-essive eloquence. 
She was naturally more sanguine and susceptible than 
the king, and more open to warm and generous impulses. 
Moved by the representations of Juan Perez, she re- 
quested that Colunibus might be again sent to her, and 



OP COLUMBUS. 43 

kindly bethinking herself of his poverty, and his humble 
plight, ordered that a sufficient sura of money should be 
forwarded to hirn to defray his travelling expenses, to 
provide him with a mule for his journey, and to furnish 
him with decent raiment, that he might make a respecta- 
ble appearance at the court. Columbus lost no time in 
complying with the commands of the queen. He ex- 
changed his threadbare garment for one of more courtly 
texture, and, purchasing a mule, set out once more, 
reanimated by fresh hopes, for the camp before Granada. 

He arrived in time to witness the memorable surrender 
of that capital to the Spanish arms. He beheld Boabdil 
el Chico, the last of the Moorish kings, sally forth from 
the Alhambra, and yield up the keys of that favorite seat 
of Moslem power; while the king and queen, with all the 
chivalry and magnificence of Spain, moved forward in 
proud and solemn procession, to receive this token of 
submission. It was one of the most brilliant triumphs in 
Spanish history. The air resounded with shouts of joy, 
with songs of triumph and hymns of thanksgiving. On 
every side were beheld military rejoicings and religious 
oblations. The court was thronged by the most illustri- 
ous of that warlike country, and stirring era; by the flow- 
er of its nobility, the most dignified of its prelacy, by 
bards and minstrels, and all the retinue of a romantic and 
picturesque age. 

During this brilliant and triumphant scene, says an 
elegant Spanish writer, " A man, obscure and but little 
known, followed the court. Confounded in the crowd 
of importunate applicants, and feeding his imagination, in 
the corners of antichambers, with the pompous project 
of discovering a world, he was melancholy and dejected 
in the midst of the general rejoicing, and beheld ivith 
indifference, almost with contempt, the conclusion of a 
conquest which swelled all bosoms with jubilee, and 
seemed to have reached the utmost bounds of desire. 
That man was Christopher Columbus." 

The moment had now arrived, however, when the 
monarchs stood pledged to attend to his proposals. They 
kept their word, and persons of confidence were appoint- 



44 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

ed to negotiate with him, among whom was Fernandc de 
Talavera, who, by the recent conquest, had risen to be 
archbishop of Granada. At the very outset of their ne- 
gotiation, however, unexpected difficulties arose. The 
principal stipulation of Columbus was, that he should be 
invested with the titles and privileges of admiral and vice- 
roy, over the countries he should discover, with one tenth 
of all gains, either by trade or conquest. The courders 
who treated with him, were indignant at such a demand 
from one whom they had considered a needy adventurer. 
One observed with a sneer, that it was a shrewd arrange- 
ment which he proposed, whereby he was certain of the 
profits and honors of a command, and had nothing to lose 
in case of failure. To this Columbus promptly replied, 
by offering to furnish one eighth of the cost, on condition 
of enjoying an eighth of the profits. His terms, howev- 
er, were pronounced inadmissible, and others were of- 
fered, of more moderate nature, but he refused to cede 
one point of his demands, and the negotiation was broken 
off. 

It is impossible not to admire the great constancy of 
purpose, and loftiness of spirit, here displayed by Colum- 
bus. Though so large a portion of life had worn away 
in fruitless solicitings, during which he had experienced 
die bitterness of poverty, neglect, ridicule, and disap- 
pointment; though there was no certainty that he would 
not have to enter upon the same career at any other court; 
yet nothing could shake his perseverance, or make him 
descend to terms which he considered beneath the dignity 
of his enterprise. Indignant at the repeated disappoint- 
ments he had experienced in Spain, he now determined 
to abandon it forever, and mounting his mule, sallied forth 
from Santa Fe, on his way to Cordova, with the intention 
of immediately proceeding from thence to France. 

When the few friends, who were zealous believers 
in the theory of Columbus, saw him on the point of 
abandoning the country, they were filled with distress. 
Among the number was Luis de St. Angel, receiver of 
the ecclesiastical revenues of Arragon, and Alonzo de 
Quintanilla, who determined to make one bold effort to 



OF COLUMBUS. 45 

avert the evil. They hastened to the queen, and St. 
Angel addressed her with a courage and eloquence in- 
spired by the exigency of the moment. He did not 
confine himself to entreaties, but almost mingled re- 
proaches. He expressed his astonishment that a queen 
who had evinced the spirit to undertake so many great 
and perilous enterprises, should hesitate at one where the 
loss could be but trifling, while the gain might be incal- 
culable ; for all that was required for this great expedition 
was but two vessels, and about thirty thousand crowns, 
and Columbus himself had offered to bear an eighth of 
the expense. He reminded her how much might be 
done for the glory of God, the promotion of the Christian 
faith, and the extension of her own power and dominion, 
should this enterprise be adopted; but what cause of 
regret it would be to herself, of sorrow to her friends, and 
triumph to her enemies, should it be rejected by her, and 
accomplished by some other power. He vindicated the 
judgement of Columbus, and the soundness and practica- 
bility of his plans, and observed, that even a failure would 
reflect no disgrace upon the crown. It was worth the 
trouble and expense to clear up even a doubt, upon a 
matter of such importance, for it belonged to enlightened 
and magnanimous princes, to investigate questions of the 
kind, and to explore the wonders and secrets of the uni- 
verse. 

These, and many more arguments, were urged, with 
that persuasive power which honest zeal imparts. The 
generous spirit of Isabella was enkindled, and it seemed 
as if the subject, for the first time, broke upon her mind 
in its real grandeur. She declared her resolution to un- 
dertake the enterprise, but paused for a moment, remem- 
bering that King Ferdinand looked coldly on the affair, 
and that the royal treasury was absolutely drained by the 
war. Her suspense was but momentary. With an en- 
thusiasm worthy of herself and of the cause, she exclaim- 
ed, "I undertake the enterprise for my own crown of 
Castile, and will pledge my jewels to raise the necessary 
funds." This was the proudest moment in the life of 
Isabella; it stamped her renown for ever as the patroness 
of the. discovery of the New World. 



46 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

St. Angel, eager to secure this favorable resolution, 
assured her majesty that there would be no need of pledg- 
ing her jewels, as he was ready to advance the necessary 
funds, as a loan, from the treasury of Arragon; his offer 
was gladly accepted. 

Columbus had proceeded on his solitary journey across 
the vega of Granada, and had reached the bridge of Pinos, 
about two leagues from that city, a pass famous for bloody 
encounters during the Moorish wars. Here he was over- 
taken by a courier sent after him in all speed by the queen, 
requesting him to return to Santa Fe. He hesitated, for 
a moment, to subject himself again to the delays and 
equivocations of the court; but when he was informed 
that Isabella had positively undertaken the enterprise, 
and pledged her royal word, every doubt was dispelled, 
he turned the reins of his mule, and hastened back joy- 
fully to Santa Fe, confiding implicitly in the noble probity 
of that princess. 



CHAPTER IX. 

Arrangement with the Spanish Sovereigns. — Preparation* 
for the Expedition at the Port of Pahs. [1492.] 

On arriving at Santa Fe, Columbus had an immediate 
rfudience of the queen, and the benignity with which 
she received him, atoned for all past neglect. Through 
deference to the zeal she thus suddenly displayed, the 
king yielded his tardy concurrence, but Isabella was the 
soul of this grand enterprise. She was prompted by 
lofty and generous enthusiasm, while the king remained 
cold and calculating, in this as in all his other undertakings. 

A perfect iniderstanding being thus elfected with the 
sovereigns, articles of agreement were drawn out by Juan 
de Coloma, the royal secretary. They were to the fol- 
lowing effect: — 



X COLUMBUS. 47 

1 . That Columbus should have, for himself, during 
his hfe, and his heirs and successors for ever, the office 
of high admiral in all the seas, lands, and continents, he 
might discover, with similar honors and prerogatives to 
those enjoyed by the high admiral of Castile in his dis- 
trict. 

2. That he should be viceroy and governor-general 
over all the said lands and continents, with the privilege 
of nominating three candidates for the government of each 
island or province, one of whom should be selected by 
the sovereigns. 

3. That he should be entitled to one tenth of all free 
profits, arising from the merchandise and productions of 
the countries within his admiralty. 

4. That he, or his lieutenant, should be the sole judge 
of causes and disputes arising out of traffic between those 
countries and Spain. 

5. That he might then, and at all aftertimes, con- 
tribute an eighth part of the expense of expeditions to 
sail to the countries he expected to discover, and should 
receive in consequence an eighth part of the profits. 

These capitulations were signed by Ferdinand and Isa- 
bella, at the city of Santa Fe, in the vega or plain of 
Granada, on the 17th of April, 1492. All the royal 
documents, issued in consequence, bore equally the sig- 
natures of Ferdinand and Isabella, but her separate crown 
of Castile defrayed all the expense. As to the money 
advanced by St. Angel out of the treasury of King Fer- 
dinand, that prudent monarch indemnified himself, some 
few years afterwards, by employing some of the first 
gold brought by Columbus from the new world to gild 
the vaults and ceilings of the grand saloon, in his royal 
palace of Saragoza, in Arragon. 

One of the great objects held out by Columbus in his 
undertaking, was, the propagation of the Christian faith. 
He expected to arrive at the extremity of Asia, or India, 
as it was then generally termed, at the vast empire of the 
Grand Khan, of whose maritime provinces of Mangi and 
Cathay, and their dependent islands, since ascertained to 
be a part of the kingdom of China, the most magnificent 



48 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

accounts had been given by Marco Polo. Various mis- 
sions had been sent, in former times, by popes and pious 
sovereigns, to instruct this oriental potentate, and his 
subjects, in the doctrines of Christianity. Columbus 
hoped to effect this grand work, and to spread the light 
of the true faith among the barbarous countries and nations 
that were to be discovered in the unknown parts of the 
East. Isabella, from pious zeal, and Ferdinand from 
mingled notions of bigotry and ambition, accorded with 
his views, and when he afterwards departed on this voyage, 
letters were actually given him, by the sovereigns, for the 
Grand Khan of Tartary. 

The ardent enthusiasm of Columbus did not stop here. 
Recollecting the insolent threat once made by the soldan 
of Egypt, to destroy the holy sepulchre at Jerusalem, 
he proposed that the profits which might arise from his 
discoveries, should be consecrated to a crusade for the 
rescue of the holy edifice from the power of the Infidels. 
The sovereigns smiled at this sally of the imagination, 
and expressed themselves well pleased with the idea; 
but what they may have considered a mere momentary 
thought, was a deep and cherished design of Columbus. 
It is a curious and characteristic fact, which has never 
been particularly noticed, that the recovery of the holy 
sepulchre was the leading object of his ambition, meditated 
throughout the remainder of his life, and solemnly provided 
for in his will, and that he considered his great discovery 
but as a preparatory dispensation of Providence, to fur- 
nish means for its accomplishment. 

The port of Palos de Moguer, in Andalusia, was fixed 
upon as the place where the armament for the expedition 
was to be fitted out, the community of the place being 
obliged, in consequence of some misdemeanor, to serve 
the crown for one year with two armed caravels. A 
royal order was issued, commanding the authorities of 
Palos to have these caravels ready for sea within ten 
days, and to yield them and their crews to the command 
of Columbus. The latter was likewise empowered to 
fit out a third vessel; nor was any restriction put upon 
his voyage, excepting that he should not go to the coast 



OF COLUMBUS. 49 

of Guinea, or any other of the lately discovered posses- 
sions of Portugal. Orders were likewise issued by the 
sovereigns, commanding the inhabitants of the seaboard 
of Andalusia, to furnish supplies and assistance of all 
kinds for the expedition, at a reasonable rate, and threat- 
ening severe penalties to such as should cause any im- 
pediment. 

As a mark of particular favor to Columbus, Isabella, 
before his departure from the court, appointed his son 
Diego page to Prince Juan, the heir apparent, an honor 
granted only to the sons of persons of distinguished rank. 
Thus gratified in his dearest wishes, Columbus took leave 
of the court on the 12th of May, and set out joyfully for 
Palos. Let those who are' disposed to faint under diffi- 
culties, in the prosecution of any great and worthy under- 
taking, remember that eighteen years elapsed after Colum- 
bus conceived his enterprise, before he was enabled to 
carry it into effect, that the most of that time was passed 
in almost hopeless solicitation, amidst poverty, neglect, 
and taunting ridicule; that the prime of his life had 
wasted away in the struggle; and that when his persever- 
ance was finally crowned with success, he was about 
fifty-six years of age. His example should teach the 
enterprising never to despair. 

When Columbus ai'rived at Palos, and presented him 
self once more before the gates of the convent of La 
Rabida, he was received with open arms by the worthy 
Juan Perez, and again entertained as his guest. The 
zealous friar accompanied him to the parochial churcli 
of St. George, in Palos, where Columbus caused tlie 
royal order for the caravels to be read by a notary public, 
in presence of the authorities of the place. Nothing 
could equal Hm astonishment and horror of the people 
of this maritime community, when they heard of the 
nature of the expedition, in which they were ordered to 
engage. They considered the ships and crews demanded 
of them, in the hght of sacrifices devoted to destruction. 
All the frightful tales and fables with which ignorance 
and superstition are prone to people obscure and distant 
regions, were conjured up concerning the unknown parts 
5 r. 



60 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

of the deep, and the boldest seamen shrunk from such 
a wild and chimerical cruise into the wilderness of the 
ocean. 

Repeated mandates were issued by the sovereigns, 
ordering the magistrates of Palos, and the neighboring 
town of Moguer, to press into the service any Spanish 
vessels and crews they might think proper, and threaten- 
ing severe punishments on all who should prove refrac- 
tory. It was all in vain, the communities of those 
places were thrown into complete confusion, tumults and 
altercations took place, but nothing of consequence was 
effected. 

At length, Martin Alonzo Pinzon, 'the wealthy and 
enterprising navigator, who has already been mentioned, 
came forward and engaged personally in the expedition. 
He and his brother Vicente Yanez Pinzon, who was 
likewise a navigator of great courage and ability, possessed 
vessels, and had seamen in their employ. They were 
related to many of the seafaring inhabitants of Palos and 
Moguer, and had great influence througliout the neigh- 
borhood. It is supposed that they furnished Columbus 
with funds to pay the eighth share of the expense 
which he had engaged to advance. They furnished two 
of the vessels required, and determined to sail in the 
expedition. Their example and persuasions had a won- 
derful effect, a great many of their relations and friends 
agreed to embark, and the vessels were ready for sea 
within a month after they had engaged in their enter- 
prise. 

During the equipment of the armament, various diffi- 
culties occurred. A third vessel, called the Pinta, had 
been pressed into the service, with its crew. The 
owners, Gomez Rascon, and Christoval Quintero, were 
strongly repugnant to the voyage, as were most of the 
mariners under them. These people, and their friends, 
endeavored in various ways to retard or defeat the 
voyage. The caulkers did their work in a careless man- 
ner, and, on being ordered to do it over again, absconded; 
several of the seamen who had enlisted willinglv, repented 
and deserted. Ev^ry thing had to be efFer:«;d by harsi 



OF COLUMBUS. 51 

and arbitrary measures, and in defiance of popular oppo- 
sition. 

At length, by the beginning of August, every difficulty 
was vanquished, and the vessels were ready for sea. 
After all the objections made by various courts, to under- 
take this expedition, it is surprising how inconsiderable 
an armament was required. Two of the vessels were 
light barques, called caravels, not superior to river and 
coasting craft of modern days. They were built high 
at the prow and stern, with forecastles and cabins for 
the crew, but were without deck in the centre. Only 
one of the three, called the Santa Maria, was completely 
decked, on board of which Columbus hoisted his flag. 
Martin Alonzo Pinzon commanded one of the caravels, 
called the Pinta, and was accompanied by his brother, 
Francisco Martin, as mate or pilot. The other^ called ' 
the Nina, had latine sails, and was commanded by Vi- 
cente Yafiez Pinzon; on board of this vessel went Garcia 
Fernandez, the physician of Palos, in the capacity of 
steward. There were three other able pilots, Sancho 
Ruiz, Pedro Alonzo Nino, and Bartholomew Roldan, 
and the whole number of persons embarked was one 
hundred and twenty. 

The squadron being ready to put to sea, Columbus 
confessed himself to the Friar Juan Perez, and partook 
of the communion, and his example was followed by the ^ 
officers and crews, committing themselves, wuth the 
most devout and afl^ecting ceremonials, to the especial 
guidance and protection of Heaven, in this perilous enter- 
prise. A deep gloom was spread over the whole com- 
munity of Palos, for almost every one had some relation 
or friend on board of the squadron. The spirits of the 
seamen, already depressed by their own fears, were still 
more cast down, at beholding the affliction of those they 
left behind, who took leave of them with tears and lamenta- 
tions and dismal forebodings, as of men they were never 
to behold again. 



52 « THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 



CHAPTER X. 

Events of the first Voyage. — Discovery of Land. [1492.] 

It was early in the morning of Friday, the 3d of Au- 
gust, 1492, that Columbus set sail from the bar of Saltes, 
a small island formed by the rivers Odiel and Tinto, in 
front of Palos, steering for the Canary Islands, from 
whence he intended to strike due west. As a guide by 
which to sail, he had the conjectural map or chart, sent 
him by Paolo Toscanelli of Florence. In this it is sup- 
posed the coasts of Europe and Africa, from the south 
af Ireland to the end of Guinea, were delineated as im 
mediately opposite to the extremity of Asia, while the 
great island of Cipango, described by Marco Polo, lay 
oetween them, fifteen hundred miles from the Asiatic 
eoast; at tliis island Columbus expected first to arrive. 

On the third day after setting sail, the Pinta made 
signal of distress, her rudder being broken and unhung. 
This was suspected to have been done through the con- 
trivance of the owners, Gomez Rascon and Christoval 
Quintero, to disable the vessel, and cause her to be left 
behind. Columbus was much disturbed at this occur- 
rence. It gave him a foretaste of the difficulties to be 
apprehended, from people partly enlisted on compulsion, 
and full of doubt and foreboding. Trivial obstacles 
might, ia this early stage of the voyage, spread panic and 
mutiny through his crews, and induce them to renounce 
the prosecution of the enterprise. 

Martin Alonzo Pinzon, who commanded the Pinta, 
secured the rudder with cords, but these fastenings soon 
gave way, and the caravel proving defective in other 
respects, Columbus remained three weeks cruising among 
the Canary Islands, in search of another vessel to replace 
her. Not being able to find one, the Pinta was repaired, 
and furnished with a new rudder. The latine sails of 



OP COLUMBUS. 53 

the Nina were also altered into square sails, that she 
might work more steadily and securely. While making 
these repairs, and taking in wood and water, Columbus 
was informed that three Portuguese caravels had been 
seen hovering off the island of Ferro. Dreading some 
hostile stratagem, on the part of the king of Portugal, in 
revenge for his having embarked in the service of Spain, 
he put to sea early on the morning of the 6th of Septem- 
ber, but for three days a profound calm detained the 
vessels within a short distance of the land. This was a 
tantalizing delay, for Columbus trembled lest something 
should occur to defeat his expedition, and was impatient 
to find himself far upon the ocean, out of sight of either 
land or sail ; which, in the pure atmosphere of these lati- 
tudes, may be descried at an immense distance. 

On Sunday, the 9th of September, as day broke, he 
beheld Ferro about nine leagues distant; he was in the 
very neighborhood, therefore, where the Portuguese cara- 
vels had been seen. Fortunately a oreeze sprang up with 
the sun, and in the course of the day the heights of Ferro 
gradually faded from the horizon. 

On losing sight of this last trace of land, the hearts of 
the crews failed them, for they seemed to have taken 
leave of the world. Behind them was every thing dear 
to the heart of man — country, family, friends, life itself; 
before them every thing was chaos, mystery, and peril. 
In the perturbation of the moment, they despaired of ever 
more seeing their homes. Many of the rugged seamen 
shed tears, and some broke into loud lamentations. Co- 
lumbus tried in every way to soothe their distress, de- 
scribing the splendid countries to which he expected to 
conduct them, and promising them land, riches, and every 
thing that could arouse their cupidity or inflame their 
imaginations; nor were these promises made for purposes 
of deception, for he certainly believed he should reahze 
them all. 

He now gave orders to the commanders of the other 

vessels, in case they should be separated by any accident, 

to continue directly westward ; but that after sailing seven 

hundred leagues, they should lay by from midnight until 

5* 



54 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

daylight, as at about that distance he confidently expected 
to find land. Foreseeing that the vague terrors already 
awakened among the seamen would increase with the 
space which intervened between them and their homes, 
he commenced a stratagem which he continued through- 
out the voyage. This was to keep two reckonings, one 
private, in which the true way of the ship was noted, and 
which he retained in secret for his own government; the 
other public, for general mspection, in which a number 
of leagues was daily subtracted from the sailing of the 
ships, so as to keep the crews in ignorance of the real 
distance they had advanced. 

When about one hundred and fifty leagues west of 
Ferro, they fell in with part of a mast of a large vessel, 
and the crews, tremblingly alive to every portent, looked 
with a rueful eye upon this fragment of a wreck, drifting 
ominously at the entrance of these unknown seas. 

On the 13th of September, in the evening, Columbus, 
for the first time, noticed the variation of the needle, a 
phenomenon which had never before been remarked. He 
at first made no mention of it, lest his people should be 
alarmed; but it soon attracted the attention of the pilots, 
and filled them with consternation. It seemed as if the 
very laws of Nature were changing as they advanced, and 
^that they were entering another world subject to unknown 
influences. They apprehended that the compass was 
about to lose its mysterious virtues, and, without this 
guide, what was to become of them in a vast and track- 
less ocean? Columbus tasked his science and ingenuity 
for reasons with which to allay their terrors. He told 
them that the direction of the needle was not to the polar 
star, but to some fixed and invisible point. The varia- 
tion, therefore, was not caused by any fallacy in the 
compass, but by the movement of the north star itself, 
which, like the other heavenly bodies, had its changes 
and revolutions, and every day described a circle round 
the pole. The high opinion they entertained of Colum- 
bus as a profound astronomer, gave weight to his theory, 
and their alarm subsided. 

They had now arrived within the influence of the trade 



OF COLUMBUS. 65 

tv^ind, which, following the sun, blows steadily from east 
to west between the tropics, and sweeps over a few ad- 
joining degrees of the ocean. With this propitious breeze 
directly aft, they were wafted gently but speedily over a 
tranquil sea, so that for many days they did not shift a 
sail. Columbus in his journal perpetually recurs to the 
bland and temperate serenity of the weather, and com- 
pares the pure and balmy mornings to those of April in 
Andalusia, observing, that the song of the nightingale was 
alone wanting to complete the illusion. 

They now began to see large patches of herbs and 
weeds all drifting from the west. Some were such as 
grow about rocks or in rivers, and as green as if recently 
washed from the land. On one of the patches was a 
live crab. They saw also a white tropical bird, of a 
kind which never sleeps upon the sea; and tunny fish 
played about the ships. Columbus now supposed himself 
arrived in the weedy sea described by Aristotle, into 
which certain ships of Cadiz had been driven by an im- 
petuous east wind. 

As he advanced, there were various other signs that 
gave great animation to the crews , many birds were seen 
flying from the west; there was a cloudiness in the north, 
such as often hangs over land; and at sunset the imagi- 
nation of the seamen, aided by their desires, would shape 
those clouds into distant islands. Every one was eager 
to be the first to behold and announce the wished-for shore; 
for the sovereigns had promised a pension of thirty crowns 
to whomsoever should first discover land. Columbus 
sounded occasionally with a line of two hundred fathoms, 
but found no bottom. Martin Alonzo Pinzon, as well 
as others of his officers, and many of the seamen, were 
often solicitous for Columbus to alter his course, and 
steer in the direction of these favorable signs; but he 
persevered in steering to the westward, trusting that, by 
keeping in one steady direction, he should reach the coast 
of India, even if he should miss the intervening islands, 
and might then seek them on his return. 

Notwithstanding the precaution which had been taken 
to keep the people ignorant of the distance they had sailed. 



56 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

they gradually became uneasy at the length of the voyage. 
The various indications of land which occasionally flat- 
tered their hopes, passed away one after another, and 
the same interminable expanse of sea and sky continued 
to extend before them. They had advanced much far- 
ther to the west than ever man had sailed before, and 
though already beyond the reach of succor, were still 
pressing onward and onward into that apparently boundless 
abyss. Even the favorable wind, which seemed as if 
providentially sent to waft them to the New World with 
such bland and gentle breezes, was conjured by their fears 
into a source of alarm. They feared that the wind in 
these seas always prevailed from the east, and if so, would 
never permit their return to Spain. A few light breeze.s 
from the west allayed for a time their last apprehension, 
and several small birds, such as keep about groves and 
orchards, came singing in the morning, and flew away at 
night. Their song was wonderfully cheering to the hearts 
of the poor mariners, who hailed it as the voice of land. 
The birds they had hitherto seen had been large and 
strong of wing, but such small birds, they observed, were 
too feeble to fly far, and their singing showed that they 
were not exhausted by their flight. 

On the following day there was a profound calm, and 
the sea, as far as the eye could reach, was covered with 
weeds, so as to have the appearance of a vast inundated 
meadow, a phenomenon attributed to the immense quan- 
tities of submarine plants which are detached by the 
currents from the bottom of the ocean. The seamen 
now feared that the sea was growing shallow; they dreaded 
lurking rocks, and shoals, and quicksands; and that their 
vessels might run aground, as it were, in the midst of the 
ocean, far out of the track of human aid, and with no 
shore where the crews could take refuge. Columbus 
proved the fallacy of this alarm, by sounding with a deep 
sea-line, and finding no bottom. 

For three days there was a continuance of light summer 
airs, from the southward and westward, and the sea was 
as smooth as a mirror. The crews now became uneasy 
at the calmness of the weather. Thev observed that 



OF COLUMBUS. 5/ 

(he contrary winds they experienced were transient and 
unsteady, and so light as not to ruffle the surface of the 
sea, the only winds of constancy and force were from 
the west, and even they had not power to disturb the 
torpid stillness of the ocean, there was a risk, therefore, 
either of perishing amidst stagnant and shoreless waters, 
or of being prevented, by contrary winds, from ever 
returning to their native country. 

Columbus continued, with admirable patience, to reason 
with these absurd fancies, but in vain when fortunately 
there came on a heavy swell of the sea, unaccompanied 
by wind, a phenomenon that often occurs in the broad 
ocean, caused by the impulse of some past gale, or dis- 
tant current of wind. It was, nevertheless, regarded with 
astonishment by the mariners, and dispelled the imaginary 
terrors occasioned by the calm. 

The situation of Columbus was daily becoming more 
and more critical. The impatience of the seamen arose 
to absolute mutiny. They gathered together in the re- 
tired parts of the ships, at first in little knots of two and 
three, which gradually increased and became formida^ 
ble, joining in murmurs and menaces against the admiral. 
They exclaimed against him as an ambitious desperadOf 
who, in a mad phantasy, had determined to do something 
extravagant to render himself notorious. What obliga- 
tion bound them to persist, or when were the terms of 
their agreement to be considered as fulfilled? They had 
already penetrated into seas untraversed by a sail, and 
where man had never before adventured. Were they to 
sail on until they perished, or until all return with their 
frail ships became impossible? V/ho would blame them 
should they consult their safety and return? The admi- 
ral was a foreigner, a man without friends or influence. 
His scheme had been condemned by the learned as idle 
and visionary, and discountenanced by people of all ranks. 
There was, therefore, no party on his side, but rather a 
large number who would be gratified by his failure. 

Such are some of the reasonings by which these men 
prepared themselves for open rebellion. Some even 
proposed, as an effectual mode of silencing all after com- 



68 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

plaints of the aumiral, that they should throw him into 
the sea, and give out that he had fallen overboard, vvliile 
contemplating the stars and signs of the heavens, with 
his astronomical instruments. 

Columbus was not ignorant of these secret cabals, but 
he kept a serene and steady countenance, soothing some 
with gentle words, stimulating the pride or the avarice 
of others, and openly menacing the most refractory with 
punishment. New hopes diverted them for a time. On 
the 25th of September, Martin Alonzo Pinzon mounted 
on the stern of his vessel, and shouted, "Land! land! 
Seiior, I claim the reward!" There was, indeed, such 
an appearance of land in the southwest, that Columbus 
threw himself upon his knees, and returned thanks to God, 
and all the crews joined in chanting Gloria in excelsis. 
The ships altered then- course, and stood all night to the 
southwest, but the morning light put an end to all their 
hopes as to a dream ; the fancied land proved to be noth- 
ing but an evening cloud, and had vanished in the night. 

For several da3'^s, they continued on with alternate 
hopes and murmurs, until the various signs of land be- 
came so numerous, that the seamen, from a state of de- 
spondency, passed to one of high excitement. Eager to 
obtain the promised pension, they were continually 
giving the cry of land until Columbus declared, that 
should any one give a notice of the kind, and land not be 
discovered within three days afterwards, he should 
thenceforth forfeit all claim to the reward. 

On the 7th of October, they had come seven hundred 
and fifty leagues, the distance at which Columbus had 
computed to find the island of Cipango. There were 
great flights of small field birds to the southwest, which 
seemed to indicate some neighboring land in that direc- 
tion, where they were sure of food and a resting place. 
Yielding to the solicitations of Martin Alonzo Pinzon 
and his brothers, Columbus, on the evening of the 7th. 
altered his course, therefore, to the west-southwest. As 
he advanced, the signs of land inci eased; the birds came 
singing about the ships; and herbage floated by as fresh 
and green as if recently from shore. When, however, 



OF COLUMBUS. 5** 

on the evening of the third day of this new course, the 
seamen beheld the sun go down upon a shoreless ho- 
rizon, they again broke forth into loud clamors, and 
insisted upon abandoning the voyage. Columbus en- 
deavored to pacify them by gentle words and liberal 
promises; but finding these only increased their violence, 
he assumed a different tone, and told them it was useless 
to murmur; the expedition had been sent by the sover- 
eigns to seek the Indies, and happen what might, he 
was determined to persevere, until, by the blessing of 
God, he should accomplish the enterprise. 

He was now at open defiance with his crew, and his 
situation would have been desperate, but, fortunately, the 
manifestations of land on the following day were such 
as no longer to admit of doubt. A green fish, such as 
keeps about rocks, swam by the ships; and a branch of 
thorn, with berries on it, floated by; they picked up, also, 
a reed, a small board, and, above all, a staff artificially 
carved. All gloom and murmuring was now at an end, 
and throughout the day each one was on the watch for 
the long-sought land. 

In the evening, when, according to custom, the mari- 
ners had sung the salve regina, or vesper hymn to the 
Virgin, Columbus made an impressive address to his 
crew, pointing out the goodness of God in thus conduct- 
ing them by soft and favoring breezes across a tran- 
quil ocean to the promised land. He expressed a strong 
confidence of making land that very night, and ordered 
that a vigilant lookout should be kept from the forecastle, 
promising to whomsoever should make the discovery, a 
doublet of velvet, in addition to the pension to be given 
by the sovereigns. 

The breeze liad been fresh all day, with more sea than 
usual; at sunset they stood again to the west, and were 
ploughing the waves at a rapid rate, the Pinta keeping 
the lead from her superior sailing. The greatest ani- 
nation prevailed throughout the ships , not an eye was 
closed that night. As the evening darkened, Columbus 
cook his station on the top of the castle or cabin on the 
Viigh poop of his vessel. However he might carry a 



60 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

cheerful and confident countenance during the day, it 
was to him a time of the most painful anxiety; and now 
when he was wrapped from observation by the shades of 
night, he maintained an intense and unremitting watch, 
ranging his eye along the dusky horizon, in search of 
the most vague indications of land. Suddenly, about 
ten o'clock, he thought he beheld a light glimmering at 
a distance. Fearing that his eager hopes might deceive 
him, he called to Pedro Gutierrez, gentleman of th^e 
king's bedchamber, and demanded whether he saw a 
light in that direction , the latter replied in the affirma- 
tive. Columbus, yet doubtful whether it might not be 
some delusion of the fancy, called Rodrigo Sanchez of 
Segovia, and made the same inquiry. By the time the 
latter had' ascended the roundhouse, the light had dis- 
appeared. They saw it once or twice afterwards in 
sudden and passing gleams, as if it were a torch in the 
bark of a fisherman, rising and sinking with the waves; 
or in the hands of some person on shore, borne up and 
down as he walked from house to house. So transient- 
and uncertain were these gleams, that few attached any 
importance to them; Columbus, however, considered 
them as certain signs of land, and, moreover, that the 
land was inhabited. 

They continued on their course until two in the morn- 
ing, when a gun from the Pinta gave the joyful signal of 
land. It was first discovered by a mariner named Rod 
riguez Bermejo, resident of Triana, a subtu'b of Seville, 
but native of Alcala de la Guadaira; but the reward was 
afterwards adjudged to the Admiral, for having previous- 
ly perceived the light. The land was now clearly seen 
about two leagues distant, whereupon they took in sail, 
and laid to, waiting impatiently for the dawn. 

The thoughts and feelings of Columbus in this little 
space of time must have been tumultuous and intense. 
At length, in spite of every difficulty and danger, he had 
accomplished his object. The great mystery of the 
ocean was revealed; his theory, which had been the scoff 
of sages, was triumphantly established; he had secured to 
himself a glory which must be as durable as the world 
itself. 



OF COLUMBUS. 61 

• 

It is difficult even for the imagination to conceive the 
feelings of such a man, at the moment of so sublime a 
discovery. What a bewildering crowd of conjectures 
must have thronged upon his mind, as to the land which 
lay before him, covered with darkness. That it was 
fruitful was evident from the vegetables which floated 
from its shores. He thought, too, that he perceived in 
the balmy air the fragrance of aromatic groves. The 
moving light which he had beheM, proved that it was the 
residence of man. But what were its inhabitants? Were 
they hke those of other parts of the globe ; or were they 
some strange and monstrous race, such as the imagina- 
tion in those times was prone to give to all remote and 
unknown regions.'' Had he come upon some wild island, 
far in the Indian seas; or was this the famed Cipango 
itself, the object of his golden fancies.'' A thousand 
speculations of the kind must have swarmed upon him, 
as he watched for the night to pass away; wondering 
whether the morning light would reveal a savage wilder- 
ness, or dawn upon spicy groves, and glittering fanes, and 
gilded cities, and all the splendors of oriental civilization. 



CHAPTER XI. 

First Landing of Columbus in the Mw World. — Cruise 
among the Bahama Islands. — Discovery of Cuba and 
Hispaniola. [1492.] 

When the day dawned, Columbus saw before him a 
level and beautiful island, several leagues in extent, of 
great freshness and verdure, and covered with trees like 
a continual orchard. Though every thing appeared in 
the wild luxuriance of untamed nature, yet the island was 
evidently populous, for the inhabitants were seen issuing 
from the woods, and running from all parts to the shore. 
They were all perfectly naked, an! from their attitudes 
6 I. 



62 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

and gestures, appeared lost in astonishment at the sight 
of the ships. Columbus made signal to cast anchor, and 
to man the boats. He entered his own boat, richly 
attired in scarlet, and bearing the royal standard. Mar- 
tin Alonzo Pinzon, and Vicente Yanez the brother, 
likewise put off in their boats, each bearing the banner 
of the enterprise, emblazoned with a green cross, hav^ing, 
on each side, the letters F and Y, surmounted by crowns, 
the Spanish initials of the Castilian monarchs, Fernando 
and Ysabel. 

As they approached the shores, they were delighted 
by the beauty and grandeur of the forests ; the variety 
of unknown fruits on the trees which overhung the shores; 
the purity and suavity of the atmosphere, and the crj^stal 
transparency of the seas which bathe these islands. On 
landing, Columbus threw himself upon his knees, kissed 
the earth, and returned thanks to God with tears of joy. 
His example was followed by his companions, whose 
breasts, indeed, were full to overflowing. Columbus, 
then rising, drew his sword, displayed the royal standard, 
and took possession, in the names of the Castilian sover- 
eigns, giving the island the name of San Salvador. He 
then called upon all present to take the oath of obedi- 
ence to him, as admiral aud viceroy, and representative 
of the sovereigns. 

His followers now burst forth into the most extrava- 
gant transports. They thronged around him, some em- 
bracing him, others kissing his hands. Those, who had 
been most mutinous and turbulent during the voyage, 
were now most devoted and enthusiastic. Some begged 
favors of him, as of a man who had already wealth and 
honors in his gift. Many abject spirits, who had outraged 
him by their insolence, now crouched at his feet, begging 
his forgiveness, and offering, for the future, the blindest 
obedience to his commands. 

The natives of the island, when, at the dawn of day, 
they had beheld the ships hovering on the coast, had 
supposed them some monsters, which had issued from 
the deep during the night. Their veering about, with- 
out any apparent effort, and the shifting and furling of 



OF COLUMBUS. 63 

their sails, resembling huge wings, filled them with aston 
ishment. When they beheld the boats approach the 
shore, and a number of strange beings, clad in glittering 
steel, or raiment of various colors, landing upon the 
beach, they fled in affright to their woods. Finding, 
however, that there was no attempt to pursue or molest 
them, they gradually recovered from their terror, and 
approached the Spaniards with great awe, frequently 
prostrating themselves, and making signs of adoration. 
During the ceremony of taking possession, they remain- 
ed gazing, in tmiid admiration, at the complexion, the 
beards, the shining armor, and splendid dress of the 
Spaniards. The admiral particularly attracted their 
attention, from his commanding height, his air of author- 
ity, his scarlet dress, and the deference paid to him by 
his companions; all which pointed him out to be the 
commander. When they had still further recovered 
from their fears, they approached the Spaniards, touched 
their beards, and examined their hands and faces, admir- 
ing their whiteness. Columbus, pleased with their sim- 
plicity, their gentleness, and the confidence they reposed 
in beings who must have appeared so strange and formi- 
dable, submitted to their scrutiny with perfect acquies- 
cence. The wondering savages were won by this benig- 
nity; they now supposed that the ships had sailed out of 
the crystal firmament which bounded their horizon, or 
that they had descended from above, on their ample 
wings, and that these marvellous beings were inhabitants 
of the skies. 

The natives of the island were no less objects of curi- 
osity to the Spaniards, differing, as they did, from any 
race of men they had ever seen. They were entirely 
naked, and painted with a variety of colors and devices, 
so as to have a wild and fantastic appearance. Their 
natural complexion was of a tawny, or copper hue, and 
they were entirely destitute of beards. Their hair was 
not crisped, like the recently-discovered tribes of Africa, 
under the same latitude, but straight and coarse, partly 
cut above the ears, but some locks behind left long, and 
falling upon their shoulders. Their features, though dis- 



64 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

figured by paint, were agreeable; they had lofty foreheads, 
and remarkably fine eyes. They were of moderate stat- 
ure, and well shaped, most of them appeared to be under 
thirty years of age. There was but one female with 
them, quite young, naked like her companions, and 
beautifully formed. They appeared tD be a simple and 
artless people, and of gentle and friendly dispositions. 
Their only arms were lances, hardened at the end by 
fire, or pointed with a flint or the bone of a fish. There 
was no iron to be seen among them, nor did they know 
its properties, for when a drawn sword was presented to 
them, they unguardedly took it by the edge. Columbus 
distributed among them colored caps, glass beads, hawk's 
bells, and other trifles, which they received as inestima- 
ble gifts, and decorating themselves with them, were 
wonderfully delighted with their finery. 

As Columbus supposed himself to have landed on an 
island at the extremity of India, he called the natives by 
the general appellation of Indians, which was universal- 
ly adopted before the nature of his discovery was known, 
and has since been extended to all the aboriginals of 
the New World. The Spaniards remained all day on 
shore, refreshing themselves, after their anxious voyage, 
amidst the beautiful groves of the island, and they return- 
ed to their ships late in the evening, delighted with all 
they had seen. 

The island where Columbus had thus, for the first 
time, set his foot upon the new world, is one of the Lu- 
cayos, or Bahama Islands, and was called by the natives 
Guanahani; it still retains the name of San Salvador, 
which he gave it, though called by the English, Cat Island. 
IMie light which he had seen the evening previous to his 
making land, may have been on Watling's Island, which 
lies a few leagues to the east. 

On the following morning, at daybreak, some of the 
natives came swimming ofl:' to the ships, and others came 
in light barks, which they called canoes, formed of a 
single tree, hollowed, and capable of holding from one 
man to the number of forty or fifty. The Spaniards 
soon discovered that they were destitute of wealth, and 



OF COLUMBUS. 65 

had little to offer in return for trinkets, except balls of cot- 
ton yarn, and domesticated parrots. They brought cakes 
of a kind of bread called cassava, made from the yuca 
root, which constituted a principal part of their food. 

The avarice of the discoverers was awakened by per- 
ceiving small ornaments of gold in the noses of some of 
the natives. On being asked where this precious metal 
was procured, they answered by signs, pointing to the 
south, and Columbus understood them to say, that a king 
resided in that quarter, of such wealth that he was served 
in great vessels of gold. He interpreted all their imper- 
fect communications according to his previous ideas and 
his cherished wishes. They spoke of a warlike people, 
who often invaded their island from the northwest, and 
carried off the inhabitants. These he concluded to be 
the people of the mainland of Asia, subjects to the Grand 
Khan, who, according to Marco Polo, were accustomed 
to make war upon the islands, and make slaves of the 
natives. The rich country to the south could be no 
other than the island of Cipango, and the king who was 
served out of golden vessels, must be the monarch whose 
magnificent palace was said to be covered with plates of 
gold. 

Having explored the island of Guanaliani, and taken 
in a supply of wood and water, Columbus set sail in 
quest of the opulent country to the south, taking seven 
of the natives with him, to acquire the Spanish language, 
and serve as interpreters and guides. 

He now beheld a number of beautiful islands, green, 
level, and fertile, and the Indians intimated by signs, that 
they were innumerable; he supposed them to be a part 
of the great archipelago described by Marco Polo as 
stretching along the coast of Asia, and abounding with 
spices and odoriferous trees. He visited three of them, 
to which he gave the names of Santa Maria de la Con- 
ception, Fernandina, and Isabella. The inhabitants 
gave the same proofs as those of San Salvador of being 
totally unaccustomed to the sight of civilized man. They 
regarded the Spaniards as superhuman beings, approach- 
ed them with propitiatory offerings, of whatever their 
6* 



66 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

poverty, or rather their simple and natural mode of hfe, 
afforded ; the fruits of their fields and groves, their cot- 
ton yarn, and their domesticated parrots. When the 
Spaniards landed in search of water, they took them to 
the coolest springs, the sweetest and freshest runs, filling 
their casks, rolling them to the boats, and seeking in 
every way to gratify their celestial visiters. 

Columbus was enchanted by the lovely scenery of some 
Df these islands. "I know not," says he, "where first 
to go, nor are my eyes ever weary of gazing on the beau- 
tiful verdure. The singing of the birds is such, that 
it seems as if one would never desire to depart hence. 
There are flocks of parrots that obscure the sun, and 
other birds of many kinds, large and small, entirely dif- 
ferent from ours. Trees, also, of a thousand species, 
each having its particular fruit, and all of marvellous 
flavor. I believe there are many herbs and trees, which 
would be of great value in Spain for tinctures, medicines, 
and spices, but I know nothing of them, which gives me 
great vexation." 

The fish which abounded in these seas, partook of the 
novelty which characterized most of the objects in this 
new world. They rivalled the birds in the tropical 
brilliancy of their colors, the scales of some of them 
glanced back the rays of light like precious stones, and 
as they sported about the ships they flashed gleams of 
gold and silver through tlie crystal waves. 

Columbus was disappointed in his hopes of finding any 
gold or spices in these islands; but the natives continued 
to point to the south, as the region of wealth, and began 
to speak of an island in that direction, called, Cuba, 
which, the Spaniards understood them to say, abounded 
in gold, pearls, and spices, carried on an extensive com- 
merce, and that large merchant ships came to trade with 
the inhab'tants. Columbus concluded this to be the 
desired Cipango, and the merchant ships to be those of 
the Grand Khan. He set sail in search of it, and after 
being delayed for several days, by contrary winds and 
calms, among the small islands of the Bahama bank and 
channel, he arrived in sight of it on the 2Sth of October 



OP COLUMBUS. 67 

As he approached this noble island, he was struck with 
'ts magnitude, the grandeur of its mountains, its fertile 
valleys and long sweeping plains, covered by stately for- 
ests, and watered by noble rivers. He anchored in a 
beautiful river to the west of Nuevitas del Principe, and 
taking formal possession of the island, gave it the name 
of Juana, in honor of Prince Juan, and to the river the 
name of San Salvador. 

Columbus spent several days coasting this part of the 
island and exploring the fine harbors and rivers with 
which it abounds. From his continual remarks in his 
journal on the beauty of the scenery, and from the pleas- 
ure which he evidently derived from rural sounds and 
objects, he appears to have been extremely open to those 
delicious influences, exercised over some spirits by the 
graces and wonders of nature. He was, in fact, in a mood 
to see every thing through a fond and favoring medium, 
for he was enjoying the fulfilment of his hopes, the hard- 
earned but glorious reward of his toils and perils, and it 
is difficult to conceive the rapturous state of his feelings, 
while thus exploring the charms of a virgin world, won 
by his enterprise and valor. 

In the sweet smell of the woods, and the odor of the 
flowers, he fancied he perceived the fragrance of oriental 
spices, and along the shores he found shells of the oyster 
which produces pearls. He frequently deceived himself, 
in fancying that he heard the song of the nightingale, a 
bird unknown in these countries. From the grass grow- 
ing to the very edge of the water, he inferred the peace- 
fulness of the ocean which bathes these islands, never 
lashing the shores with angry surges. Ever since his 
arrival among these Antilles, he had experienced nothing 
but soft and gentle weather, and he concluded that a 
perpetual serenity reigned over these seas, little suspi- 
cious of the occasional bursts of fury to which they are 
liable, and to the tremendous hurricanes which rend and 
devastate the face of nature. 

While coasting the island, he xanded occasionally and 
visited the villages, the inhabitants of which fled to the 
woods and mountains. The houses were constructed 



68 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

of branches of palm trees, in the shape of paviHons, and 
were scattered under the spreading trees, Hke tents in a 
camp. They were bettor built than those he had hith- 
erto visited, and extremely clean. He found in them 
rude images, and wooden masks, carved with considera- 
ble ingenuity. Finding implements for fishing in all the 
cabins, he concluded that the coasts were inhabited 
merely by fishermen, who supplied the cities in the inte 
rior. 

After coasting to the northwest for some distance, 
Columbus came in sight of a great headland, to which, 
from the groves which covered it, he gave the name of 
the Cape of Palms. Here he learnt that behind this 
bay there was a river, from whence it was but four days' 
journey to Cubanacan. By this name the natives desig- 
nated a province in the centre of Cuba; nacan, in their 
language signifying, in the midst. Columbus fancied, 
however, that they were talking of Cublay Khan, the 
Tartar sovereign, and understood them to say that Cuba 
was not an island, but terra firma. He concluded that 
this must be a part of the mainland of Asia, and that he 
could be at no great distance from Mangi and Cathay, 
the ultimate destination of his voyage. The prince said 
to reign over the neighboring country might be some ori- 
ental potentate of consequence; he determined, there- 
fore, to send a present to him, and one of his letters of 
recommendation from the Castilian sovereigns. For this 
purpose he chose two Spaniards, one of whom was a 
converted Jew, and knew Hebrew, Chaldaic, and a lit- 
tle Arabic, one or other of which languages, it was 
thought, m.ustbe known to this oriental prince. Two In- 
dians were sent with them as guides; they were furnished 
with strings of beads, and various trinkets, for their trav- 
elling expenses, and enjoined to inform themselves ac- 
curately concerning the situation of certain provinces, 
ports, and rivers of Asia, and to ascertain whether drugs 
and spices abounded in the country. The ambassadors 
penetrated twelve leagues into the interior, when they 
came to a village of fifty houses, and at least a thousand 
inhabitants. They were received with great kindness, 



OF COLUMBUS. 69 

conducted to the principal house, and provisions placed 
before them, after which the Indians seated themselves 
on the ground around their visiters, and waited to hear 
what they had to communicate. 

The Israelite found his Hebrew, Chaldaic, and Ara- 
bic of no avail, and the Lucayan interpreter had to be 
the orator. He made a regulai* speech after the Indian 
manner, extolling the power, wealth, and munificence of 
the white men. When he had finished, the Indians 
crowded round the Spaniards, touched and examined 
their skin and raiment, and kissed their hands and feet in 
token of adoration. There was no appearance of gold, or 
any other article of great value, among them; and when 
they were shown specimens of various spices, they said 
there was nothing of the kind to be found in the neigh- 
borhood, but far off to the southwest. 

Finding no traces of the city and court they had antici- 
pated, the envoys returned to their ships; on the way 
back they beheld several of the natives going about with 
firebrands in their hands, and certain dried herbs, which 
they rolled up in a leaf, and lighting one end, put the 
other in their mouths, and continued inhaling and puffing 
out the smoke. A roll of this kind they called a tobac- 
co ; a name since transferred to the weed itself. The 
Spaniards were struck with astonishment at this singular, 
and apparently preposterous luxury, although prepared 
to meet with wonders. 

The report of the envoys put an end to many splendid 
fancies of Columbus, about this barbaric prince and his 
capital; all that they had seen betokened a primitive and 
simple state of society; the country, though fertile and 
beautiful, was wild, and but sHghtly and rudely cultivated; 
the people were evidently strangers to civihzed man, nor 
could they hear of any inland city superior to the one 
they had visited. 

As fast as one illusion passed away, however, another 
succeeded. Columbus now understood from the signs 
of the Indians, that there was a country to the eastward 
where the people collected gold along the river banks by 
torch light, and afterwards wrought it into bars with 



7Q THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

hammers. In speaking of this place, they frequently 
used the words Babeque and Bohio, which he supposed 
to be the names of islands or provinces. As the season 
was advancing, and the cool nights gave hints of ap- 
proaching winter, he resolved not to proceed further to 
the north, and turning eastward, sailed in quest of Ba- 
beque, which he trusted might prove some rich and civ- 
iized island. 

After running along the coast for two or three days, 
and passing a great cape, to which he-gave the name of 
Cape Cuba, he stood out to sea in the direction pointed 
out by the Indians. The wind, however, came directly 
ahead, and after various ineffectual attempts he had to 
return to Cuba. What gave him great uneasiness was, 
that the Pinta, commanded by Martin Alonzo Pinzon, 
parted company with him during this attempt. She was 
the best sailer, and had worked considerably to windward 
of the other ships. Pinzon paid no attention to the sig- 
nals of Columbus to turn back, though they were repeat- 
ed at night by lights at the mast-head; when morning 
dawned, the Pinta was no longer to be seen. 

Columbus considered this a wilful desertion, and was 
much troubled and perplexed by it. Martin Alonzo had 
for some time shown impatience at the domination of the 
admiral. He was a veteran navigator, of great abilities, 
and accustomed from his wealth and standing to give the 
law among his nautical associates. He had furnished 
two of the ships, and much of the funds for the expedi- 
tion, and thought himself entitled to an equal share in the 
command several disputes, therefore, had occurred be- 
tween him and the admiral. Columbus feared he might 
have departed to make an independent cruise, or might 
have the intention to hasten back to Spain, and claim the 
merit of the discovery. These thoughts distracted his 
mind, and embarrassed him in the farther prosecution of 
his discoveries. 

For several days he continued exploring the coast of 
Cuba, until he reached the eastern end, and to which, 
from supposing it the extreme point of Asia, he gave the 
name of Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. 



OP COLUMBUS. 71 

While steering at large beyond this cape, undetermined 
which course to take, he descried high mountains tower- 
ing above the clear horizon to the southeast, and giving 
evidence of an island of great extent. He immediatel}' 
stood for it, to the great consternation of his Indian guides 
who assured him by signs that the inhabitants had but one 
eye, and were fierce and cruel cannibals. 

In the transparent atmosphere of the tropics, object? 
are descried at a great distance, and the purity of the air 
and serenity of the deep blue sky, give a magical charm 
to scenery. Under these advantages, the beautiful island 
of Hayti revealed itself to the eye as they approached. 
Its mountains were higher and more rocky than those of 
the other islands, but the rocks rose from among rich for- 
ests. The mountains swept down into luxuriant plains 
and green savannas, while the appearance of cultivated 
fields, with the numerous fires at night, and the column? 
of smoke which rose in various parts by day, all showed 
it to be populous. It rose before them in all the splen- 
dor of tropical vegetation, one of the most beautiful isl- 
ands in the world, and doomed to be one of the most 
unfortunate. 



CHAPTER XII. 

Coasting of Hispaniola. — Shipwreck, and other Occur 
rences at the Island. [1492.] 

On the evening of the 6th of December, Columbus 
entered a harbor at the western end of the island, to which 
he gave the name of St. Nicholas, by which it is called 
at the present day. Not being able to meet with any of 
the inhabitants, who had fled from their dwellings, he 
coasted along the northern side of the island to another 
harbor, which he called Conception. Here the sailors 
caught several kinds of fish similar to those of their ows 



72 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

country, they heard also the notes of a bird which sings 
in the night, and wh ch they mistook for the nightingale, 
and they fancied the features of the surrounding country 
resembled those of the more beautiful provinces of Spain; 
in consequence of this idea, the admiral named the island 
Espanola, or, as it is commonly written, Hispaniola. 
After various ineffectual attempts to obtain a communica- 
tion with the natives, three sailors succeeded in overtaking 
a young and handsome female, who was flying from them, 
and brought their wild beauty in triumph to the ships. 
She was treated with the greatest kindness, and dismissed 
finely clothed, and loaded with presents of beads, hawk's 
bells, and other baubles. Confident of the favorable 
impression her account of her treatment, and the sight of 
her presents, must produce, Columbus, on the following 
day, sent nine men, well armed, to seek her village, ac- 
companied by a native of Cuba as an interpreter. The 
village was situated in a fine valley, on the banks of a 
beautiful river, and contained about a thousand houses. 
The natives fled at first, but being reassured by the inter- 
preter, they came back to the number of two thousand, 
and approached the Spaniards with awe and trembling, 
often pausing and putting their hands upon their heads in 
token of reverence and submission. 

The female also, who had been entertained on board 
of the ships, came borne in triumph on the shoulders of 
some of her countrymen, followed by a multitude, and 
preceded by her husband, who was full of gratitude for 
the kindness with which she had been treated. Having 
recovered from their fears, the natives conducted the 
Spaniards to their houses, and set before them cassava 
bread, fish, roots, and fruits of various kinds; offering 
them freely whatever they possessed, for a frank hospi- 
tality reigned throughout the island, where as yet the 
passion of avarice was unknown. 

The Spaniards returned to the vessels enraptured with 
the beauty of the country, surpassing, as they said, even 
the luxuriant valley of Cordova; all that they complained 
of was, that they saw no signs of riches among the na- 
tives 



OF COLUMBUS 73 

Continuing along the coast, Columbus had farther in- 
tercourse with the natives, some of whom had ornaments 
of gold, which they readily exchanged for the merest 
trifle of European manufacture. At one of the harbors 
where he was detained by contrary winds, he was visited 
by a young cacique, apparently of great importance, who 
came borne on a litter by four men, and attended by two 
hundred of his subjects. He entered the cabin where 
Columbus was dining, and took his seat beside him, with 
a frank, unembarrassed air, while two old men, who were 
his counsellors, seated themselves at his feet, watching 
his lips, as if to catch and communicate his ideas. If any 
thing were given him to eat, he merely tasted it, and sent 
it to his followers, maintaining an air of great gravity and 
dignity. After dinner, he presented the admiral with a 
belt curiously wrought, and two pieces of gold. Colun) 
bus made him various presents in return; he showed him 
a coin bearing the likenesses of Ferdinand and Isabella, 
and endeavored to give him an idea of the power and 
grandeur of those sovereigns. The cacique, however, 
could not be made to believe that there was a region on 
earth which produced such wonderful people and won- 
derful things, but persisted in the idea that the Spaniards 
were more than mortal, and that the country and sover- 
eigns they spoke of, must exist somewhere in the skies. 

On the 20th of December, Columbus anchored in a 
fine harbor, to which he gave the name of St. Thomas, 
supposed to be what at present is called the bay of Acul. 
Here a large canoe visited the ships, bringing messengers 
from a grand cacique named Guacanagari, who resided 
on the coast a little farther to the eastward, and reigned 
over all that part of the island. The messengers bore a 
present of a broad belt, wrought ingeniously with colored 
beads and bones, and a wooden mask, the eyes, nose and 
tongue of which were of gold. They invited Columbus, 
in the name of the cacique, to come with his ships oppo- 
site to the village where he resided. Adverse winds 
prevented an immediate compliance with this invitation; 
he therefore sent a boat well armed, with the notary of 
the scjuadron, to visit the chieftain. The latter returned 
7 I. 



T4 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

with so favorable an account of the appearance of the vil- 
lage, and the hospitality of the cacique, that Columbus 
determined to set sail for his residence as soon as the wind 
would permit. 

Early in the morning of the 24th of December, there- 
fore, he weighed anchor, with a light wind that scarcely 
filled the sails. By eleven o'clock at night, he was within 
a league and a half of the residence of the cacique: the 
sea was calm and smooth, and the ship almost motionless. 
The admiral, having had no sleep the preceding night, 
retired to take a little repose. No sooner had he left the 
deck, than the steersman gave the helm in charge to one 
of the ship boys, and went to sleep. This was in direct 
violation of an invariable order of the admiral, never to 
intrust the helm to the boys. The rest of the mariners 
who had the watch, took like advantage of the absence of 
Columbus, and in a little while the whole crew was buried 
in sleep. While this security reigned over the ship, the 
treacherous currents, which run swiftly along this coast, 
carried her smoothly, but with great violence, upon a 
sand bank. The heedless boy, feeling the rudder strike, 
and hearing the rushing of the sea, cried out for aid. 
Columbus was the first to take the alarm, and was soon 
followed by the master of the ship, whose duty it was to 
have been on watch, and by his delinquent companions. 
The admiral ordered them to carry out an anchor astern, 
that they might warp the vessel off. They sprang into 
the boat, but being confused and seized with a panic, as 
men are apt to be when suddenly awakened by an alarm, 
instead of obeying the commands of Columbus, they 
rowed off to the other caravel. Vicente Yanez Pinzon, 
who commanded the latter, reproached them with their 
pusillanimity, and refused to admit them on board, and, 
manning his boat, he hastened to the assistance of the 
admiral. 

In the mean time, the ship, swinging across the stream, 
had been set more and more upon the bank. Efforts 
were made to lighten her, by cutting away the mast, but 
in vain. The keel was firmly bedded in the sand; the 
f-eams opened, and the breakers beat against her, until 



OF COLUMBUS. 75 

she fell over on one side. Fortunately, the weather con- 
tinued calm, otherwise both ship and crew must have 
perished. The admiral abandoned the wreck, and took 
refuge, with his men, an board of the caravel. Helaid- 
to until daylight, sending messengers on shore to inform 
the cacique Guacanagari of his disastrous shipwreck. 

When the chieftain heard of the misfortune of his guest, 
he was so much afflicted as to shed tears; and never, in 
civilized country, were the vaunted rites of hospitality 
more scupulously observed, than by this uncultured sav- 
age. He assembled his people, and sent off all his canoes 
to the assistance of the admiral, assuring him, at the same 
time, that every thing he possessed was at his service. 
The effects were landed from the wreck, and deposited 
near the dwelling of the cacique, and a guard set over 
them, until houses could be prepared, in which they could 
be stored. There seemed, however, no disposition among 
the natives to take advantage of the misfortune of the 
strangers, or to plunder the treasures thus cast upon their 
shores, though they must have been inestimable in their 
eyes. Even in transporting the effects from the ship, 
they did not attempt to pilfer or conceal the most trifling 
article. On the contrary, they manifested as deep a con- 
cern at the disaster of the Spaniards, as if it had happened 
to themselves, and their only study was how they could 
administer relief and consolation. Columbus was greatly 
affected by this unexpected goodness. " These people," 
said he in his journal, intended for the perusal of the 
sovereigns, "love their neighbors as themselves, their 
discourse is ever sweet and gentle, and accompanied by 
a smile. I swear to your majesties, there is not in the 
world a better nation or a better land." 

When the cacique first met with Columbus, he was 
much moved at beholding his dejection, and again offered 
him every thing he possessed that could be of service to 
him. He invited him on shore, where a banquet was 
prepared for his entertainment, consisting of various kinds 
of fish and fruit, and an animal called Utia by the natives, 
which resembled a coney. After the collation, he con- 
ducted Columbus to the beautiful groves which surrounded 



76 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

his residence, where upwards of a thousand of the na- 
tives were assembled, all perfectly naked, who performed 
several of their national games and dances. Thus did 
this generous cacique try, by every means in his power, 
to cheer the melancholy of his guest, showing a warmth 
of sympathy, a delicacy of attention, and an innate dignity 
and refinement, which could not have been expected from 
one in his savage state. He was treated with great defer- 
ence by his subjects, and conducted himself towards them 
with a gracious and prince-like majesty. His whole de- 
portment, in the enthusiastic eyes of Columbus, betokened 
the inborn grace and dignity of lofty lineage. 

When the Indians had finished their games, Columbus 
gave them an entertainment in return, calculated to im- 
press them with a formidable opinion of the military 
power of the Spaniards. A Castilian, who had served 
in the wars of Granada, exhibited his skill in shooting 
with a Moorish bow, to the great admiration of the ca- 
cique. A cannon and an arquebuse were likewise dis- 
charged; at the sound of which the Indians fell to the 
ground, as though they had been struck by a thunderbolt. 
When they saw the effect of the ball rending and shiver- 
ing the trees, they were filled with dismay. On being 
told, however, that the Spaniards would protect them 
with these arms, against the invasions of their dreaded 
enemies, the Caribs, their alarm was changed into con- 
fident exultation, considering themselves under the pro- 
tection of the sons of heaven, who had come from the 
skies, armed with thunder and lightning. The cacique 
placed a kind of coronet of gold on the head of Columbus, 
and hung plates of the same metal round his neck, and 
he dispensed liberal presents among his followers. What- 
ever trifles Columbus gave in return, were regarded with 
reverence, as celestial gifts, and were said by the Indians 
to have come from Turey, or heaven. 

The extreme kindness of the cacique, the gentleness 
of his people, and the quantities of gold daily brought by 
the natives, and exchanged for trifles, contributed to con- 
sole Columbus for his misfortunes. When Guacanagari 
perceived the great value which the admiral attached to 



OF COLUMBUS. "'1 

gold, he assured him, by signs, that there was a place, 
not far off, among the mountains, where it abounded to 
such a degree as to be regarded with indifference; and 
he promised to procure him, from thence, as much as 
he desired. Columbus gathered many other particulars 
concerning this golden region. It was called Cibao, and 
lay among high and rugged mountains. The cacique who 
ruled over it owned many rich mines, and had banners of 
wrought gold. Columbus fancied that the name of Cibao 
must be a corruption of Cipango, and flattered himself, 
that this was the very island productive of gold and spices, 
mentioned by Marco Polo. 

Three houses had been given to the shipwrecked crew 
for their residence. Here, hving on shore, and minghng 
freely with the natives, they became fascinated by their 
easy and idle mode of hfe. They were governed by 
their caciques with an absolute, but patriarchal and easy 
rule, and existed in that state of primitive and savage 
simplicity which some philosophers have fondly pictured 
as the most enviable on earth. " It is certain," says old 
Peter Martyr, " that the land among these people is as 
common as the sun and water; and that ' mine and thine,' 
the seeds of all mischief, have no place with them. They 
are content with so little, that, in so large a country, they 
have rather superfluity than scarceness; so that they seem 
to hve in a golden world, without toil, in open gardens, 
neither intrenched, nor shut up by walls or hedges. They 
deal truly with one another, without laws, or books, or 
judges." In fact, they seemed to disquiet themselves 
about nothing ; a few fields, cultivated almost without 
labor, furnished roots and vegetables, their groves were 
laden with delicious fruit, and the coast and rivers abound- 
ed with fish. Softened by the indulgence of nature, a 
great part of the day was passed by them in indolent re- 
pose, in that luxury of sensation inspired by a serene sky 
and voluptuous cUmate, and in the evening they danced 
in their fragrant groves, to their national songs, or the 
rude sound of their silvan drums. 

When the Spanish mariners looked back upon their 
own toilsome and painful life, and reflected upon the 
7* 



78 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

cares and hardships that must still be their lot, should 
they return to Europe, they regarded with a wistful eye 
the easy and idle existence of these Indians, and many 
of them, representing to the admiral the difficulty and 
danger of embarking so many persons in one small caravel, 
entreated permission to remain in the island. The request 
immediately suggested to Columbus the idea of forming 
the germ of a future colony. The wreck of the caravel 
would furnish materials and arms for a fortress; and the 
people who should remain in'the island, could explore it, 
learn the language of the natives, and collect gold, while 
the admiral returned to Spain for reenforcements. Gua- 
canagari was overjoyed at finding that some of these 
wonderful strangers were to remain for the defence of 
his island, and that the admiral intended to revisit it. He 
readily gave permission to build the fort, and his subjects 
eagerly aided in its construction, little dreaming that they 
were assisting to place on their necks the galling yoke of 
perpetual and toilsome slavery. 

While thus employed, a report was brought to Colum- 
bus, by certain Indians, that another ship was at anchor 
in a river at the eastern end of the island; he concluded 
it of course to be the Pinta, and immediately despatched 
a canoe in quest of it, with a letter for Pinzon, urging 
him to rejoin him immediately. The canoe coasted the 
island for thirty leagues, but returned without having 
heard or seen any thing of the Pinta, and all the anxiety 
of the admiral was revived; should that vessel be lost, 
the whole success of his expedition would depend on the 
return of his own crazy bark, across an immense expanse 
of ocean, where the least accident might bury it in the 
deep, and with it all record of his discovery. He dared 
not therefore prolong his voyage, and explore those 
magnificent regions, which seemed to invite on every 
hand, but determined to return immediately to Spain. 

So great wds the activity of the Spaniards, and the 
assistance of the natives, that in ten days the fortress 
was completed. It consisted of a strong wooden tower, 
with a vault beneath, and the whole surrounded by a 
wide ditch. It was supplied with the ammunition, and 



OF COLUMBUS. 79 

mounted with the cannon saved from the wreck, and was 
considered sufficient to overawe and repulse the whole 
of this naked and unwarlike people. Columbus gave the 
fortress and harbor the name of La Navidad, or the 
Nativity, in memorial of having been preserved from the 
wreck of his ship on Christmas day. From the number 
of volunteers that ofiered to remain, he selected thirty- 
nine of the most trust-worthy, putting them under the 
command of Diego de Arana, notary and alguazil of the 
armament. In case of his death, Pedro Gutierrez was 
to take the command, and he, in like case, to be succeed- 
ed by Rodrigo de Escobido. He charged the men, in 
the most emphatic manner, to be obedient to their com- 
manders, respectful to Guacanagari and his chieftains, 
and circumspect and friendly in their intercourse with the 
natives. He warned them not to scatter themselves 
asunder, as their safety would depend upon their united 
force, and not to stray beyond the territory of the friendly 
cacique. He enjoined it upon Arana, and the other com- 
manders, to employ themselves in gaining a knowledge 
of the island, in amassing gold and spices, and in search 
ing for a more safe and convenient harbor for that settle 
ment. 

Before his departure, he gave the natives another mili- 
tary exhibition, to increase their awe of the prowess of 
the white men. The Spaniards performed skirmishes, 
and mock fights, with swords, bucklers, lances, cross- 
bows, and fire-arms. The Indians were astonished at 
the keenness of the steeled weapons, and the deadly 
power of the crossbows and muskets; but nothing equal- 
led their awe and admiration, when the cannon were dis- 
charged from the fortress, wrapping it in smoke, shaking 
the forests with their thunder, and shivering the stoutest 
trees. 

When Columbus took leave of Guacanagari, the kind- 
hearted cacique shed many tears, for, while he had been 
awed by the dignified demeanor of the admiral, and the 
idea of his superhuman nature, he had been completely 
won by the benignity of his manners. The seamen too 
had made many pleasant connexions among the Indians, 



80 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

and they parted with mutual regret. The sorest parting, 
however, was with their comrades who remained behind, 
from that habitual attachment formed by a companionship 
in perils and adventures. When the signal gun was fired, 
they gave a parting cheer to the gallant handful of volun- 
teers thus left in the wilderness of an unknown world, 
who echoed their cheering as they gazed wistfully after 
them from the beach, but who were destined never to 
welcome their return. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Return Voyage. — Violent Storms. — Arrival at Portugal. 

[1493.] 

It was on the 4th of January, that Columbus se! .ail 
from La Navidad,on his return to Spain. On the 6th, as 
he was beating along the coast, with ahead wind, a sailor 
at the mast-head cried out that there was a sail at a dis- 
tance, standing towards them. To their great joy, it 
proved to be the Pinta, which came sweeping before the 
wind with flowing canvass. On joining the admiral, 
Pinzon endeavored to excuse his desertion, by saying 
that he had been separated from him by stress of weath- 
er, and had ever since been seeking him. Columbus 
listened passively but incredulously to these excuses, 
avoiding any words that might produce altercations, and 
disturb the remainder of the voyage. He ascertained, 
afterwards, that Pinzon had parted company intentionally, 
and had steered directly east, in quest of a region where 
the Indians on board of his vessel had assured him he 
would find gold in abundance. They had guided him 
to Hispaniola, where he had been for some time in a 
river about fifteen leagues east of La Navidad, trading 
with the natives. He had collected a large quantity of 
gold, one half of which he retained as captain, the rest 



OF COLUMBUS. 81 

he divided among his men, to secure their secrecy and 
fidelity. On leaving the river, he had carried ofi' four 
Indian men and two girls, to be sold in Spain. 

Columbus sailed for this river, to which he gave the 
name of Rio de Gracia, but it long continued to be known 
as the river of Martin Alonzo. Here he ordered the 
four men and two girls to be dismissed, well clothed and 
w th many presents, to atone for the wrong they had ex- 
perienced, and to allay the hostile feehng it might have 
caused among the natives. This restitution was not 
made without great unwillingness, and many angry words, 
on the part of Pinzon. 

After standing for some distance further along the coast, 
they anchored in a vast bay, or rather gulf, three leagues 
in breadth, and extending so far inland that Columbus at 
first supposed it to be an arm of the sea. Here he was 
visited by the people of the mountains of Ciguay, a har- 
dy and warlike race, quite different from the gentle and 
peaceful people they had hitherto met with on this island. 
They were of fierce aspect, and hideously painted, and 
their heads were decorated with feathers. They had 
bows and arrows, war clubs, and swords made of palm 
wood, so hard and heavy that a blow from them would 
cleave through a helmet to the very brain. At the first 
sight of these ferocious-looking people, Columbus sup- 
posed them to be the Caribs, so much dreaded throughout 
these seas; but on asking for the Caribbean Islands, the 
Indians still pointed to the eastward. 

With these people the Spaniards had a skirmish, in 
which several of the Indians were slain. This was the 
first contest they had had with the inhabitants of the new 
world, and the first time that native blood had been shed 
by white men. From this skirmish Columbus called the 
place El Golfo de las Fleches, or the gulf of Arrows; 
but it is now known by the name of the gulf of Samana. 
He lamented that all his exertions to maintain an amica- 
ble intercourse had been ineffectual, and anticipated 
further hostility on the part of the natives; but on the 
following day, they approached the Spaniards as freely 
and confidently as if nothing had happened; the cacique 



82 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

came on board with only three attendants, and throughout 
all their subsequent dealings they betrayed no signs of 
lurking fear or enmity. This frank and confiding con- 
duct, so indicative of a brave and generous nature, was 
properly appreciated by Columbus; he entertained the 
cacique with great distinction, and at parting made many 
presents to him and his attendants. This cacique of 
Ciguay was named Mayonabex, and in subsequent events 
of this histoiy, will be found to acquit himself with 
valor and magnanimity, under the most trying circum- 
stances. 

Columbus, on leaving the bay, took four young Indians 
to guide him to the Caribbean Islands, situated to the 
east, of which they gave him very interesting accounts, 
as well as of the island of Mantinino, said to be inhabited 
by Amazons. A favorable breeze sprang up, however, 
for the voyage homewards, and, seeing gloom and impa- 
tience in the countenances of his men, at the idea of 
diverging from their route, he gave up his intention of 
/isiting these islands for the present, and made all sail 
for Spain. 

The trade winds, which had been so propitious on the 
outward voyage, were equally adverse to a return. The 
favorable breeze soon died away; light winds from the 
east, and frequent calms, succeeded, but they had inter- 
vals of favorable weather, and by the 12th of February 
they had made such progress as to begin to flatter them- 
selves with the hopes of soon beholding land. The 
wind now came on to blow violently; on the following 
evening there were three flashes of lightning in the 
north-northeast, from which signs Columbus predicted 
an approaching tempest. It soon burst upon them with 
frightful violence; their small and crazy vessels were 
little fitted for the wild storms of the Atlantic; all night 
they were obliged to scud under bare poles at the mercy 
of the elements. As the morning dawned, there was a 
transient pause, and they made a little sail, but the wind 
rose with redoubled fury from the south, and increased 
m the night, the vessels laboring terribly in a cross sea, 
which threatened at each moment to overwhelm them, 



OF COLUMBUS. 8t> 

or dash them to pieces. The tempest still augmenting, 
they were obliged again to scud before the wind. The 
admiral made signal lights for the Pinta to keep in com- 
pany; for some time she replied by similar signals, but 
she was separated by the violence of the storm ; her 
lights gleamed more and more distant, until they ceased 
entirely. When the day dawned, the sea presented a 
frightful waste of wild, broken waves, lashed into fury by 
the gale; Columbus looked round anxiously for the Pinta, 
but she was nowhere to be seen. 

Throughout a dreary day the helpless bark was driven 
along by the tempest. Seeing all human skill baffled 
and confounded, Columbus endeavored to propitiate 
Heaven by solemn vows. Lots were cast to perform 
pilgrimages and penitences, most of which fell upon 
Columbus; among other things, he was to perform a 
solemn mass, and to watch and pray all night in the 
chapel of the convent of Santa Clara, at Moguer. Vari- 
ous private vows were made by the seamen, and one by 
the admiral and the whole crew, that, if they were spared 
to reach the land, they would walk in procession, bare- 
footed, and in their shirts, to offer up thanksgivings in 
some church dedicated to the virgin. 

The heavens, however, seemed deaf to all their vows; 
the storm grew still more furious, and every one gave 
himself up for lost. During this long and awful conflict 
of the elements, the mind of Columbus was a prey to the 
most distressing anxiety. He was harassed by the 
repinings of his crew, who cursed the hour of their leaving 
their country, and their want of resolution in not com- 
pelling him to abandon the voyage. He was afflicted, 
also, when he thought of his two sons, who would be left 
destitute by his death. But he had another source of 
distress, more intolerable than death itself. It was highly 
probable that the Pinta had foundered in the storm. In 
such case, the history of his discovery would depend 
upon his own feeble bark; one surge of the ocean might 
bury it for ever in oblivion, and his name only remain as 
that of a desperate adventurer, who had perished in pursuit 
of a chimera. 



84 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

In the midst of these gloomy reflections, an expedient 
suggested itself, by which, though he and his ships might 
perish, the glory of his achievement might survive to his 
name, and its advantages be secured to his sovereigns. 
He wrote on parchment a brief account of his discovery, 
and of his having taken possession of the newly found 
lands in the name of their catholic majesties. This he 
sealed and directed to the king and queen, and super- 
scribed a promise of a thousand ducats to whomsoever 
should deliver the packet unopened. He then wrapped 
it in a waxed cloth, which he placed in the centre of a 
cake of wax, and enclosing the whole in a cask, threw i' 
into the sea. A copy of this memorial he enclosed in a 
similar manner, and placed it upon the poop of his vessel, 
so that, should the caravel sink, the cask might float off 
and survive. 

Happily, these precautions, though wise, were super- 
fluous; at sunset, J-here was a streak of clear sky in the 
west, the wind shifted lo that quarter, and on the morning 
of the 15lh of February, they came in sight of land. 
The transports of the crew at once more beholding the 
old world, were almost equal to those they had experi- 
enced on discovering the new. For two or three days, 
however, the wind again became contrary, and they 
remained hovering in sight of land, of which they only 
caught glimpses through the mist and rack. At length 
they came to anchor, at the island of St. Mary's, the most 
southern of the Azores, and a possession of the crown of 
Portugal. An ungenerous reception, howayer, awaited 
the poor tempest-tossed mariners, on their return to the 
abode of civilized man, far different from the kindness 
and hospitality they had experienced among the savages 
of the new world. Columbus had sent one half of the 
crew on shore, to fulfil the vow of a barefooted procession 
to a hermitage or chapel of the virgin, which stood on a 
solitary part of the coast, and awaited their return to 
perform the same ceremony with the remainder of his 
crew. Scarcely had they begun their prayers and thanks- 
giving, when a party of horse and foot, headed by the 
governor of the island, surrounded the hermitage and took 



OF COLUMBUS. 85 

them all prisoners. The real object of this outrage was 
to get possession of the person of Columbus; for the king 
of Portugal, jealous lest his enterprise might interfere 
with his own discoveries, had sent orders to his command- 
ers of islands and distant ports, to seize and detain him 
wherever he should be met with. 

Having failed in this open attempt, the governor next 
endeavored to get Columbus ia his power by stratagem, 
but was equally unsuccessful. A violent altercation took 
place between them, and Columbus threatened him with 
the vengeance of his sovereigns. At length, after two or 
three days' detention, the sailors who had been captured 
in the chapel were released; the governor pretended to 
have acted through doubts of Columbus having a regular 
commission, but that being now convinced of his being 
in the service of the Spanish sovereigns, he was ready 
to yield him every service in his power. The admiral 
did not put his offers to the proof. The wind became 
favorable for the continuation of his voyage, and he again 
set sail, on the 24th of February. After two or three 
days of pleasant sailing, there was a renewal of tem- 
pestuous weather. About midnight of the 2d of INIarch, 
the caravel was struck by a squall, which rent all her sails, 
and threatened instant destruction. The crew were again 
reduced to despair, and made vows of fastings and pil- 
grimages. The storm raged throughout the succeeding 
day, during which, from various signs, they considered 
theuiselves in the vicinity of land, which they supposed 
must be the coast of Portugal. The turbulence of the 
following night was dreadful. The sea was broken, wild, 
and mountainous, the rain fell in torrents, and the light- 
ning flashed, and the thunder pealed from various parts 
of the heavens. 

In the first watch of this fearful night, the seamen gave 
the usually welcome cry of land, but it only increased 
their alarm, for they were ignorant of their situation, and 
dreaded being driven on shore, or dashed upon the rocks. 
Taking in call, tlierefore, they endeavored to keep to sea 
as nauch as possible. At daybreak,on the 4th of March, 
they found themselves off the rock of Cintra, at the 
8 I. 



b6 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

mouth of the Tagus. Though distrustful of the good will 
of Portugal, Columbus had no alternative but to run in for 
shelter, and he accordingly anchored about three o'clock 
m the river, opposite to Rastello. The inhabitants came 
off from various parts of the shore, to congratulate him on 
what they deemed a miraculous preservation, for they 
had been watching the vessel the whole morning, with 
great anxiety, and putting up prayers for her safety. 
The oldest mariners of the place assured him, that they 
had never known so tempestuous a winter. Such were 
the difficulties and perils with which Columbus had to 
contend on his return to Europe; had one tenth part of 
them beset his outward voyage, his factious crew would 
have risen in arms against the enterprise, and he never 
would have discovered the New World. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Fisit of Columbus to the Court of Portugal. — Arrival 
at Palos. [1493.] 

Immediately on his arrival in the Tagus, Columbus 
despatched a courier to the king and queen of Spain, 
with tidings of his discovery. He wrote also to the 
king of Portugal, entreating permission to go to Lisbon 
with his vessel, as a report had got abroad that she was 
laden with gold, and he felt himself insecure in the neigh- 
borhood of a place like Rastello, inhabited by needy and 
adventurous people. At the same time he stated the 
route and events of his voyage, lest the king should sus- 
pect him of having been in the route of the Portuguese 
discoveries. 

The tidings of this wonderful bark, freighted with the 
people and productions of a newly discovered world, 
filled all Lisbon with astonishment. For several days 
the Tagus was covered with barges and boats goinjj; to 



OF COLUMBUS. 87 

and from it. Among the visiters were various officers 
of the crown, and cavaUers of high distinction. All hung 
with rapt attention upon the accounts of the voyage, and 
gazed with insatiable curiosity upon the plants, and ani- 
mals, and above all upon the inhabitants of the new world. 
The enthusiasm of some, and the avarice of others, was 
excited, while many repined at the incredulity of the king 
and his counsellors, by which so grand a discovery had 
been for ever lost to Portugal. 

On the 8th of INIarch, Columbus received a message 
from King John, congratulating him upon his arrival, and 
inviting him to the court at Valparaiso, about nine leagues 
from Lisbon. The king at the same time ordered, that 
any thing which the admiral required for himself or his 
vessel should be furnished free of cost. 

Columbus distrusted the good faith of the king, and set 
out reluctantly for the court; but his reception was what 
might have been expected from an enlightened and liberal 
prince. On approaching the royal residence, he was met 
by the principal personages of the king's household, and 
conducted with great ceremony to the palace. The king 
welcomed him to Portugal, and congratulated him on the 
glorious result of his enterprise. He ordered him to seat 
himself in his presence, an honor only granted to per- 
sons of royal dignity, and assured him that every thing in 
his kingdom was at the service of his sovereigns and 
himself. They had repeated conversations about the 
events of the voyage, and the king made minute inquiries 
as to the soil, productions, and people of the newly dis- 
covered countries, and the routes by which Columbus 
had sailed. The king listened with seeming pleasure to 
his replies, but was secretly grieved at the thoughts that 
this splendid enterprise had been offered to him and re- 
fused. He was uneasy, also, lest this undefined discov- 
ery should in some way interfere with his own territories, 
comprehended in the papal bull, which granted to the 
crown of Portugal all the lands it should discover from 
Cape Non to the Indies. 

On suggesting these doubts to his counsellors, they 
sagerly encouraged them, for some of them were the 



88 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

very persons who had scoffed at Columbus as a dreamer, 
and his success covered them with confusion. They 
declared that the color, hair, and manners of the natives, 
brought in the caravel, agreed exactly with the descrip- 
tions given of the people of that part of India granted to 
Portugal by the papal bull. Others observed that there 
was but little distance between the Terceira Islands and 
those which Columbus had discovered; the latter there- 
fore clearly belonged to Portugal. Others endeavored 
to awaken the anger of the king, by declaring that Co- 
lumbus had talked in an arrogant and vain-glorious tone 
of his discovery, merely to revenge himself upon the 
monarch for having rejected his propositions. 

Seeing the king deeply perturbed in spirit, some even 
went so far as to propose, as an effectual means of im- 
peding the prosecution of these enterprises, that Colum- 
bus should be assassinated. It would be an easy matter 
to take advantage of his lofty deportment, to pique his 
pride, provoke him to an altercation, and suddenly de- 
spatch him as if in casual and honorable encounter. 

Happily, the king had too much magnanimity to adopt 
such wicked and dastardly counsel. Though secretly 
grieved and mortified that the rival power of Spain 
should have won this triumph which he had rejected, 
yet he did justice to the great merit of Columbus, and 
honored him as a distinguished benefactor to mankind. 
He felt it his duty, also, as a generous prince, to protect 
all strangers driven by adverse fortune to his ports. 
Others of his council advised that he should secretly 
fit out a powerful armament, and despatch it, under 
guidance of two Portuguese mariners who had sailed 
with Columbus, to take possession of the newly discov- 
ered country; he might then settle the question of right 
with Spain by an appeal to arms. This counsel, in 
which there was a mixture of courage and craft, was 
more relished by the king, and he resolved to put it 
promptly in execution. 

In the mean time, Columbus, after being treated with 
the most honorable attentions, was escorted back to his 
ship by a numerous train of cavaliers of the court, and 



OF COx^l/MBUS. 89 

on the way paid a visit to the queen at a monastery of 
San Antonio at Villa Franca, where he was listened to 
with wonder, as he related the events of his voyage to 
her majesty and the ladies of her court. The king had 
oflered him a free passage by land to Spain, at the royal 
expense, but as the weather had moderated, he preferred 
to return in his caravel. Putting to sea on the 13th of 
March, therefore, he arrived safely at Palos on the 15th, 
having taken not quite seven months and a half to 
accomplish tliis most momentous of all maritime enter- 
prises. 

The triumphant return of Columbus was a prodigious 
event in the little community of Palos, every member of 
which was more or less interested in the fate of the expe- 
dition. Many had lamented their friends as lost, while 
imagination had lent mysterious horrors to their fate. 
When, therefore, they beheld one of the adventurous 
vessels furling her sails in their harbor, from the dis- 
covery of a world, the whole community broke forth 
into a transport of joy, the bells were rung, the shops 
shut, and all business suspended. Columbus landed, and 
walked in procession to the church of St. George, to 
return thanks to God for his safe arrival. Wherever 
he passed, the air rang with acclamations, and he received 
such honors as are paid to sovereigns. What a con- 
trast was this to his departure a few months before, 
followed by murmurs and execrations; or rather, what a 
contrast to his first arrival at Palos, a poor pedestrian, 
craving bread and water for his child at the gate of a 
convent ! 

Understanding that the court was at Barcelona, he at 
first felt disposed to proceed there in the caravel, but, 
reflecting on the dangers and disasters of his recent 
voyage, he gave up the idea, and despatched a letter to 
the sovereigns, informing them of his arrival. He then 
departed for Seville to await their reply. It arrived 
within a few days, and was as gratifying as his heart 
could have desired. The sovereigns were dazzled and 
astonished by this sudden and easy acquisition of a new 
empire of indefinite extent, and apparently boundless 
8* 



90 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

wealth. They addressed Columbus by his titles of 
admiral and viceroy, promising him still greater rewards, 
and urging him to repair immediately to court to con 
cert plans for a second and more extensive expedition 

It is fitting here to speak a word of the fate of Martin 
Alonzo Pinzon. By a singular coincidence, which ap- 
pears to be well authenticated, he anchored at Palos or 
the evening of the same day that Columbus had arrived. 
He had been driven by the storm into the bay of Biscay, 
and had made the port of Bayonne. Doubting whether 
Columbus had survived the tempest, he had immediately 
written to the sovereigns, giving an account of the dis- 
covery, and requesting permission to come to court and 
relate the particulars in person. As soon as the weather 
was favorable, he again set sail, anticipating a trium- 
phant reception in his native port of Palos. When, on 
entering the harbor, he beheld the vessel of the admiral 
riding at anchor, and learned the enthusiasm with which he 
had been received, his heart died within him. It is said 
he feared to meet Columbus in this hour of his triumph, 
lest he should put him under arrest for his desertion on 
the coast of Cuba; but this is not likely, for he was a 
man of too much resolution to yield to such a fear. It 
is more probable that a consciousness of his misconduct 
made him unwilling to appear before the public in the 
midst of their enthusiasm for Columbus, and to witness 
the honors heaped upon a man whose superiority he had 
been so unwilling to acknowledge. Whatever may have 
been his motive, it is said that he landed privately in his 
boat, and kept out of sight until the departure of the 
admiral, when he returned to his home, broken in health, 
and deeply dejected, awaiting the reply of the sovereigns 
-o his letter. The reply at length arrived, forbidding 
his coming to court, and severely reproaching him for 
his conduct. This letter completed his humiliation; the 
wounds of his feelings gave virulence to his bodily 
malady, and in a few days he died, a victim to grief and 
repentance. 

Let no one, however, indulge in harsh censures over 
the grave of Pinzon. His merits and services are en- 



OF COLUMBUS. 91 

tilled to the highest praise; his errors should be regarded 
with indulgence. He was one of the first in Spain to 
appreciate the project of Columbus, animating him by 
his concurrence, and aiding him with his purse when 
poor and unknown at Palos. He afterwards enabled 
him to procure and fit out his ships, when even the 
mandates of the sovereigns were ineffectual; and finally 
he embarked in the expedition with his brothers and 
friends, staking life, property, every thing, upon the 
event. He had thus entitled himself to participate largely 
in the glory of this immortal enterprise, when, unfor- 
tunately, forgetting for a moment the grandeur of the 
cause, and the implicit obedience due to his commander, 
he yielded to the incitements of self-interest, and was 
guilty of that act of insubordination which has cast a 
shade upon his name. Much may be said, however, in 
extenuation of his fault; his consciousness of having 
rendered great services to the expedition, and of pos- 
sessing property in the ships, and his habits of command, 
which rendered him impatient of control. That he was 
a man naturally of generous seniinients and honorable 
ambition, is evident from the poignancy with which he 
felt the disgrace drawn upon him by his conduct. A 
mean man would not have fallen a victim to self-upbraid- 
ing for having been convicted of a mean action. His 
story shows how one lapse from duty may counterbalance 
the merits of a thousand services ; how one moment of 
weakness may mar the beauty of a whole life of virtue; 
and how important it is for a man, under all circum- 
stances, to be true, not merely to others, but to himself. 



92 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 



CHAPTER XV. 

Reception of Columbus by the Spanish Sovereigns at Bar- 
celona. [1493.] 

The journey of Columbus to Barcelona, was like the 
progress of a sovereign. Wherever he passed, the 
surrounding country poured forth its inhabitants, who 
lined the road, and thronged the villages, rending the 
air with acclamations. In the large towns, the streets, 
windows, and balconies were filled with spectators, eager 
to gain a sight of him, and of the Indians whom he carried 
with him, who were regarded with as much astonishment 
as if they had been natives of another planet. 

It vi^as about the middle of April, that he arrived at 
Barcelona, and the beauty and serenity of the weather, 
in that genial season and favored climate, contributed 
to give splendor to the memorable ceremony of his re- 
ception. As he drew near the place, many of the youth- 
ful courtiers and cavaliers, followed by a vast concourse 
of the populace, came forth to meet him. His entrance 
into this noble city has been compared to one of those 
triumphs which the Romans were accustomed to decree 
to conquerors. First were paraded the six Indians, paint- 
ed according to their savage fashion, and decorated with 
their ornaments of gold. After these were borne various 
kinds of live parrots, together with stuffed birds and ani- 
mals of unknown species, and rare plants supposed to be 
of precious qualities; while especial care was taken to 
display the Indian coronets, bracelets, and other decora- 
tions of gold, which might give an idea of the wealth of the 
newly-discovered regions. After this followed Columbus, 
on horseback, surrounded by a brilliant cavalcade of Span- 
ish chivalry. The streets were almost impassable from 
the multitude; the houses, even to the very roofs, were 
crowded with spectators. It seemed as if the public eye 



OF COLUMBUS. 9'J 

could not be sated with gazing at these trophies of an 
unknown world ; or on the remarkable man by whom it 
had been discovered. There was a subhmity in this event 
that mingled a solemn feeling with the public joy. It was 
considered a signal dispensation of Providence in reward 
for the piety of the sovereigns ; and the majestic and 
venerable appearance of the discoverer, so different from 
the youth and buoyancy that generally accompany roving 
enterprise, seemed in harmony witii the grandeur and 
dignity of the achievement. 

To receive him with suitable distinction, the sovereigns 
had ordered their throne to be placed in public, under a 
rich canopy of brocade of gold, where they awaited his 
arrival, seated in state, with Prince Juan beside them, 
and surrounded by their principal nobility. Columbus 
arrived in their presence, accompanied by a brilHant 
crowd of cavaliers, among whom, we are told, he was 
conspicuous for his stately and commanding person, 
which, with his venerable gr^y hairs, gave him the august 
appearance of a senator of Rome. A modest smile 
lighted up his countenance, showing that he enjoyed the 
state and glory in which he came; and certainly nothing 
could be more deeply moving to a mind inflamed by noble 
ambition, and conscious of having nobly deserved, than 
these testimonials of the admiration and gratitude of a 
nation, or rather of a world. On his approach, the 
sovereigns rose, as if receiving a person of the highest 
rank. Bending on his knees, he would have kissed their 
hands in token of vassalage, but they raised him in the 
most gracious manner, and ordered him to seat himself in 
their presence; a rare honor in this proud and punctilious 
court. 

He now gave an account of the most striking events 
of his voyage, and displayed the various productions and 
the native inhabitants which he had brought from the new 
world. He assured their majesties that all these were 
but harbingers of greater discoveries, which he had yet 
to make, which would add realms of incalculable wealth 
to their dominions, and whole nations of proselytes to 
the true faith. 



94 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

When Columbus had finished, the king and queen sank 
on their knees, raised their hands to heaven, and, with 
eyes filled with tears of joy and gratitude, poured forth 
thanks and praises to God. All present followed their 
example ; a deep and solemn enthusiasm pervaded that 
splendid assembly, and prevented all common acclama- 
tions of triumph. The anthem of Te Deum laudamus, 
chanted by the choir of the royal chapel, with the melodi- 
ous accompaniments of instruments, rose up from the midst 
in a full body of harmony, bearing up, as it were, the 
feehngs and thoughts of the auditors to heaven. Such 
was the solemn and pious manner in which the brilliant 
court of Spain celebrated this sublime event; offering up 
a grateful tribute of melody and praise, and giving glory 
to God for the discovery of another world. 

While the mind of Columbus was excited by this tri 
umph, and teeming with splendid anticipations, his pious 
scheme for the deliverance of the holy sepulchre was 
not forgotten. Flushed with the idea of the vast wealth 
that must accrue to himself from his discoveries, he made 
a vow to furnish, within seven years, an army of four 
thousand horse and fifty thousand foot, for a crusade to 
the Holy Land,and a similar force within the five following 
years. It is essential to a full knowledge of the character 
and motives of this extraordinary man, that this visionaiy 
project should be borne in recollection. It shows how 
much his mind was elevated above selfish and mercenary 
views, and filled with those devout and heroic schemes, 
which, in the time of the crusades, had inflamed the 
thoughts and directed the enterprises of the bravest war- 
riors and most illustrious princes. 

During his sojourn at Barcelona, the sovereigns took 
every occasion to bestow on Columbus the highest marks 
of personal consideration. He was admitted at all times 
to the royal presence; appeared occasionally with the 
A.ing on horseback, riding on one side of him, while 
Prince .luanrode on the other side; and the queen delight- 
ed to converse familiarly with him on the subject of his 
voyage. To perpetuate in his family the glory of his 
achievement, a coat of arms was given him, in which he 



OF COLUMBUS. 95 

was allowed to quarter the royal arms, the castle and 
lion, with those more peculiarly assigned him, which 
were a group of islands surrounded by waves; to these 
arms was afterwards annexed the motto: 

A CASTILLA Y A LEON 
NUEVO MUNDO DIO COLON. 

(To Castile and Leon 
Columbus gave a new world.) 

The pension of thirty crowns, which had been decreed 
by the sovereigns to whomsoever should first discover 
land, was adjudged to Columbus, for having first seen 
the light on the shore. It is said that the seaman, who 
first descried the land, was so incensed at being disap- 
pointed of what he deemed his merited reward, that he 
renounced his country and his faith, and, crossing into 
Africa, turned Mussulman; an anecdote, however, which 
rests on rather questionable authority. 

The favor shown Columbus by the sovereigns, in- 
sured him for a time the caresses of the nobility; for, in 
a court, every one is eager to lavish attentions upon the 
man " whom the king delighteth to honor." Atone 
of the banquets which were given him, occurred the 
wellknown circumstance of the egg. A shallow court- 
ier present, impatient of the honors paid to Columbus, 
and meanly jealous of him as a foreigner, abruptly asked 
him, whether he thought that, in case he had not dis- 
covered the Indies, there would have been wanting men 
in Spain, capable of the enterprise. To this, Colum- 
bus made no direct reply, but, taking an egg, invited 
the company to make it stand upon one end. Every 
one attempted it, but in vain; whereupon he struck it 
upon the table, broke one end, and left it standing on 
the broken part; illustrating, in this simple manner, that 
when he had once shown the way to the new world, 
nothing was easier than to follow it. 

The joy occasioned by this great discovery was not 
confined to Spain; the whole civilized world was filled 
with wonder and delight. Every one rejoiced in it as an 



96 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

event in which he was more or less interested, and which 
opened a new and unbounded field for inquiry and enter- 
prise. Men of learning and science shed tears of joy, 
and those, of ardent imaginations indulged in the most 
extravagant and delightful dreams. Notwithstanding all 
this triumph, however, no one had an idea of the real 
importance of the discovery. The opinion of Colum- 
bus v/as universally adopted, that Cuba was the end of 
the Asiatic continent, and that the adjacent islands were 
In the Indian Seas. They were called, therefore, the 
West Indies, and as the region thus discovered appeared 
to be of vast and indefinite extent, and existing in a state 
of nature, it received the comprehensive appellation of 
"the New World." 



CHAPTER XVI. 

Papal Bull of Partition. — Preparations for a Second 
Voyage of Discovery. [1493.] 

In the midst of their rejoicings, the Spanish sovereigns 
lost no time in taking every measure to secure their new 
acquisitions. During the crusades, a doctrine had been 
established among the Christian princes, according to 
which, the pope, from his supreme authority over all 
temporal things, as Christ's vicar on earth, was consid- 
ered as empowered to dispose of all heathen lands to 
such Christian potentates as would undertake to reduce 
them to the dominion of the Church, and to introduce 
into them the light of religion. 

Alexander the Sixrh, a native of Valencia, and born a 
subject to the crown of Arragon, had recently been ele- 
vated to the papal chair. He was a pontiff whom some 
historians have stigmatized with every vice and crime that 
could disgrace humanity, but whom all have represented 
as eminently able and i)olitic. Ferdinand was well 



OF COLUMBUS. 97 

aware of his worldly and perfidious character, and en- 
deavored to manage him accordingly. He despatched 
ambassadors to him, announcing the new discovery as an 
extraordinary triumph of the faith, and a vast acquisition 
of empire to the Church. He took care to state, that it 
did not in the least interfere with the possessions ceded 
by the holy chair to Portugal, all which had been sedu- 
lously avoided; he supplicated his Holiness, therefore, 
to issue a bull, granting to the crown of Castile dominion 
over all those lands, and such others as might be discov- 
ered in those parts, artfully intimating, at the same time, 
his determination to maintain possession of them, how- 
ever his Holiness might decide. No difficulty was made 
in gi'anting what was considered but a reasonable and 
modest request, though it is probable that the acquies- 
cence of the worldly-minded pontiff was quickened by 
the insinuation of the politic monarch. 

A buU was accordingly issued, dated May 2d, 1493, 
investing the Spanish sovereigns with similar rights, 
privileges, and indulgences, in respect to the newly-dis- 
covered regions, to those granted to the Portuguese with 
respect to their African discoveries, and under the same 
condition of propagating the Catholic faith. To prevent 
any conflicting claims, however, between the two pow- 
ers, the famous line of demarcation was established. 
This was an ideal line drawn from the north to the south 
pole, a hundred leagues west of the Azores and the Cape 
de Verde Islands. All land discovered by the Spanish 
navigators to the west of this line, was to belong to the 
crown of Castile; all land discovered in the contrary di- 
rection was to belong to Portugal. It seems never to 
have occurred to the pontiff, that, by pushing their op- 
posite discoveries, they might some day or other come 
again in collision, and renew the question of territorial 
right at the antipodes. 

In the mean time, the utmost exertions were made to 
fit out the second expedition of Columbus. To insure 
regularity and despatch in the affairs relative to the new 
world, they were placed under the superintendence of 
Tiian Rodri2;ue;5 de Fonseca, archdeacon of Seville, who 
-^9 1. 



98 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

successively was promoted to the sees of Badajoz, Pa- 
lencia, and Burgos, and finally appointed patriarch of the 
Indies. Francisco Pinelo was associated with him as 
treasurer, and Juan de Soria as contador, or comptrol- 
ler. Their office was fixed at Seville, and was the germ 
of the Royal India house, which afterwards rose to such 
great power and importance. No one was permitted to 
embark for the newly-discovered lands, without express 
Hcense from either the sovereigns, Columbus, or Fon- 
seca. The ignorance of the age as to enlarged princi- 
ples of commerce, and the example of the Portuguese 
in respect to their African possessions, have been cited 
in excuse for the narrow and jealous spirit here mani- 
fested; but it always, more or less, influenced the policy 
of Spain in her colonial regulations. 

Another instance of the despotic sway exercised by 
the crown over commerce, is manifested in a royal order, 
empowering Columbus and Fonseca to freight or pur- 
chase any vessels in the ports of Andalusia, or to take 
them by force, if refused, even though freighted by other 
persons, paying what they should conceive a reasonable 
compensation, and compelling their captains and crews to 
serve in the expedition. Equally arbitrary powers were 
given with respect to arms, ammunition, and naval stores. 

As the conversion of the heathen was professed to be 
the grand object of these discoveries, twelve ecclesiastics 
were chosen to accompany the expedition, at the head 
of wliom was Bernardo Buyl, or Boyle, a Benedictine 
monk, native of Catalonia, a man of talent and reputed 
sanctity, but a subtle politician, of intriguing spirit. He 
was appointed by the pope his apostolical vicar for the 
new world. These monks were charged by Isabella with 
the spiritual instruction of the Indians, and provided, by 
her, with all things necessary for the dignified performance 
of the rites and ceremonies of the Church. The queen 
had taken a warm and compassionate interest in the wel- 
fare of the natives, looking upon them as committed by 
Heaven to her peculiar care. She gave general orders 
that they should be treated with the utmost kindness, and 
enjoined Columbus to inflict signal punishment on all 



OK COLUMBUS. 99 

Spaniards who should wrong them. ThB six Indians 
brought by the admiral to Barcelona, were baptized with 
great state and solemnity, the king, the queen and Prince 
Juan officiating as sponsors, and were considered as an 
offering to Heaven of the first fruits of these pagan nations. 

The preparations for the expedition were quickened by 
the proceedings of the court of Portugal. John the Sec- 
ond, unfortunately for himself, had among his counsellors 
certain politicians of that short-sighted class who mistake 
craft for wisdom. By adopting their perfidious policy, 
he had lost the new world when it was an object of hon- 
orable enterprise; in compliance with their advice, he 
now sought to retrieve it by subtle stratagem. A large 
armament was fitting out, the avowed object of which 
was an expedition to Africa, but its real destination to 
seize upon the newly- discovered countries. To lull 
suspicion, he sent ambassadors to the Spanish court, to 
congratulate the sovereigns on the success of Columbus, 
and to amuse them with negotiations respecting their dis- 
coveries. Ferdinand had received early intelligence of 
the naval preparations of Portugal, and perfectly under- 
stood the real purpose of this mission. A keen diplo- 
matic game ensued between the sovereigns, wherein the 
parties were playing for a newly-discovered world. Ques- 
tions and propositions were multiplied and entangled; the 
object of each being merely to gain time to despatch his 
expedition. Ferdinand was successful, and completely 
foiled his adversary; for though John the Second was 
able and intelligent, and had crafty counsellors to advise 
him, yet, whenever deep and subtle policy was required, 
Ferdinand was master of the game. 

It may be as well to mention, in this place, that the 
disputes between the two powers, on the subject of their 
discoveries, was finally settled on June 4th, 1494, by 
removing the* imaginary line of partition, three hundred 
and seventy leagues west of the Cape de Verde Islands, 
an arrangement which ultimately gave to Portugal the 
possession of the Brazils. 

By the indefatigable exertions of Columbus, aided by 
Fonseca and Soria, a fleet of seventeen sail, large and 



100 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

small, were soon in a state of forwardness; laborers and 
artificers of all kinds were engaged for the projected colo- 
ny; and an ample supply was provided of whatever was 
necessary for its subsistence and defence, for the cultiva- 
tion of the soil, the working of the mines, and the traffic 
with the natives. 

The extraordinary excitement which prevailed respect- 
ing this expedition, and the magnificent ideas which were 
entertained concerning the new world, drew volunteers 
of all kinds to Seville. It was a romantic and stirring 
age, and the Moorish wars being over, the bold and rest- 
less spirits of the nation were in want of suitable employ- 
ment. Many hidalgos of high rank, officers of the royal 
household, and Andalusian cavaliers, pressed into the 
expedition, some in the royal service, others at their own 
cost, fancying they were about to enter upon a glorious 
career of arms, in the splendid countries, and among the 
semi-barbarous nations of the East. No one had any 
definite idea of the object or nature of the service in 
which he was embarked, or the situation and character of 
the region to which he was bound. Indeed, during this 
fever of the imagination, had sober facts and cold realities 
been presented, they would have been rejected with dis- 
dain, for there is nothing of which the public is more 
impatient, than of being disturbed in the indulgence of 
any of its golden dreams. 

Among the noted personages who engaged in the ex- 
pedition, was a young cavalier of a good family, named 
Don Alonzo de Ojeda, who deserves particular mention. 
He was small, but well proportioned and muscular, of a 
dark, but handsome and animated countenance, and pos- 
sessed of incredible strength and agility. He was expert 
at all kinds of weapons, accomplished in all manly and 
warlike exercises, an admirable horseman, and a partisan 
soldier of the highest order. Bold of heart, free of spirit, 
open of hand; fierce in fight, quick in brawl, but ready 
to forgive and prone to forget an injury; he was for a 
long time the idol of the rash and roving youth who en- 
gaged in the early expeditions to the new world, and 
distinguished himself by ntiany perilous enterprises and 



OP COLUMBUS. 101 

singular exploits. The very first notice we have of him, 
is a harebrained feat which he performed in presence of 
Queen Isabella, in the Giralda or Moorish tower of the 
Cathedral of Seville. A great beam projected about 
twenty feet from the tower, at an immense height from 
the ground along this beam Ojeda walked briskly with 
as much confidence as if pacing his chamber. When 
arrived at the end, he stood on one leg, with the other 
elevated in the air, then turning nimbly, walked back to 
the tower; placed one foot against it, and threw an orange 
to the summit; which could only have been done by one 
possessed of immense muscular strength. Throughout 
all this exploit, the least giddiness, or false step, would 
have precipitated him to the earth and dashed him to 
pieces. 

During the fitting out of the armament, various dis- 
putes occurred between Columbus and the persons ap- 
pointed by the crown to assist him. Juan de Soria, the 
comptroller, demurred occasionally to the expenses, 
which exceeded the amount originally calculated, and he 
sometimes refused to sign the accounts of the admiral. 
The archdeacon Fonseca, also, disputed the requisitions 
of Columbus for footmen and domestics, suitable to his 
state as viceroy. They both received reprimands from 
the sovereigns, and were commanded to study, in every 
thing, the wishes of Columbus. From this trifling cause 
we may date the rise of an implacable hostihty, ever after 
manifested by Fonseca towards Columbus, which every 
year increased in rancor, and which his official station 
enabled him to gratify in the most invidious manner. 
Enjoying the unmerited favor of the sovereigns, he main- 
tained a control of Indian afiairs for about thirty years. 
He must undoubtedly have possessed talents for business, 
to insure such perpetuity of office; but he was mahgnant 
and vindictive, and, in the gratification of his private re- 
sentments, often obstructed the national enterprises, and 
heaped wrongs and sorrows on the heads of the most 
'llustrious of the early discoverers. 
9* 



102 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 



CHAPTER XVII. 

Departure of Columbus, on his Second Voyage of Dis- 
covery. — Jlrrival at Hispaniola. [1493.] 

The departure of Columbus on his second voyage of 
discovery presented a brilliant contrast to his gloomy 
embarkation at Palos. On the 25th of September, at 
the dawn of day, the bay of Cadiz was whitened by his 
fleet. There were three large ships of heavy burden, 
and fourteen caravels. The number of persons permitted 
to embark had originally been limited to one thousand; 
but many volunteers were allowed to enlist without pay, 
others got on board of the ships by stealth, so that even- 
tually about fifteen hundred set sail in the fleet. All weri 
full of animation, and took a gay leave of their friends, 
anticipating a prosperous voyage and triumphant return 
Instead of being regarded by the populace as devoted 
men, bound upon a dark and desperate enterprise, they 
were contemplated whh envy as favored mortals, destined 
to golden regions and delightful climes, where nothing 
but wealth and wonder and enjoyment aw^alted them 
Columbus moved among the throng, accompanied by his 
sons, Diego and Fernando, the eldest but a stripling, 
who had come to witness his departure. Wherever he 
passed, every eye followed him with admiration, and 
every tongue extolled and blessed him. Before sunrise 
the whole fleet was under weigh; the weather was serene 
and propitious, and as the populace watched their parting 
sails brightening in the morning beams, they looked for- 
ward to their joyful return, laden with the treasures of 
the new world. 

Columbus touched at the Canary Islands, where he 
took in wood and water, and procured live stock, plants, 
and seeds, to be propagated in Hispaniola. On the 13th 
of October, he lost sight of the island of Ferro, and. 



OF COLUMBUS. 103 

favored by the trade winds, was borne pleasantly along, 
shaping his course to the southwest, hoping to fall in with 
the islands of the Caribs, of which he had received such 
interesting accounts in his first voyage. At the dawn of 
day of the 2d of November, a lofty island was descried 
to the west, to which he gave the name of Dominica, 
from having discovered it on Sunday. As the ships 
moved gently onward, other islands rose to sight, one 
after another, covered with forests, and enlivened by 
flights of parrots and other tropical birds, while the whole 
air was sweetened by the fragrance of the breezes which 
passed over them. These were a part of that beautiful 
cluster of islands called the Antilles, which sweep almost 
in a semicircle from the eastern end of Porto Rico, to 
the coast of Paria on the southern continent, forming a 
kind of barrier between the main ocean and the Caribbean 
Sea. 

In one of those islands, to which they gave the name 
of Guadaloupe, the Spaniards first met with the delicious 
anana, or pineapple. They found also, to their surprise, 
the sternpost of a European vessel, which caused much 
speculation, but which, most probably, was the fragment 
of some wreck, borne across the Atlantic by tiie constant 
current which accompanies the trade winds. What most 
struck their attention, however, and filled them with 
horror, was, the sight of human limbs hanging in the 
houses, as if curing for provisions, and others broiling or 
roasting at the fire. Columbus now concluded that he 
had arrived at the islands of the cannibals or Caribs, the 
objects of his search, and he was confirmed in this belief 
by several captives taken by his men. These Caribs 
were the most ferocious people of these seas; making 
roving expeditions in their canoes, to the distance of 
one hundred and fifty leagues, invading the islands, ravag- 
ing the villages, making slaves of the youngest and hand- 
somest females, and carrying off the men to be killed 
and eaten. 

While at this island, a party of eight men, headed by 
Diego Marque, captain of one of the caravels, strayed 
into the woods, and did not return at night to the ships. 



104 THE LITE AND VOYAGES 

The admiral was extremely uneasy at their absence, fear- 
ing some evil from the ferocious disposition of the island- 
ers; on the following day, parties were sent in quest of 
them, each with a trumpeter, to sound calls and signals, 
and guns were fired from the ships, but all to no purpose. 
The parties returned in the evening, wearied by a fruit- 
less search, with many dismal stories of the traces of 
cannibahsm they had met with. 

Alonzo de Ojeda, the daring young cavalier who has 
already been mentioned, then set off with forty men, into 
the interior of the island, beating up the forests, and 
making the mountains and valleys resound with trumpets 
and firearms, but with no better success. Their search 
was rendered excessively toilsome by the closeness and 
luxuriance of the forests, and by the windings and doub- 
lings of the streams, which were so frequent, that Ojeda 
declared he had waded through twenty-six rivers witbin 
the distance of six leagues. He gave the most enthu- 
siastic accounts of the country. The forests, he s: d, 
were filled with aromatic trees and shrubs, whici: he 
had no doubt would be found to produce precious gums 
and spices. 

Several days elapsed without tidings of the stragglers, 
and Columbus, giving them up for lost, was on the point 
of sailing, when they made their way back to the fleet, 
haggard and exhausted. For several days, they had been 
bewildered in the mazes of a forest so dense as almost 
to exclude the day. Some of them had climbed trees in 
hopes of getting a sight of the stars, by which to govern 
their course, but the height of the branches shut out all 
view of the heavens. They were almost reduced to 
despair, when they fortunately arrived at the seashore, 
and keeping along it, came to where the fleet was at 
anchor. 

After leaving Guadaloupe, Columbus touched at other 
of the Caribbean Islands. At one of them, which he 
named Santa Cruz, a ship's boat, sent on shore for water, 
had an encounter with a canoe, in which were a few 
Indians', two of whom were females. The women fought 
as desperate] V as the men, and plied their bows with 



OF COLUMBUS. 105 

such vigor, that one of them sent an arrow through a 
Spanish buckler, and wounded the soldier who bore it. 
The canoe being run down and overset, they continued 
to fight while in the water, gathering themselves occa- 
sionally on sunken rocks, and managing their weapons as 
dexterously as if they had been on firm ground. It was 
with the utmost difficulty they could be overpowered and 
taken. When brought on board the ships, the Spaniards 
could not but admire their untamed spirit and fierce de- 
meanor. One of the females, from the reverence with 
which the rest treated her, appeared to be their queen; 
she was accompanied by her son, a young man strongly 
made, with a haughty and frowning brow, who had been 
wounded in the combat. One of the Indians had been 
transpierced by a lance, and died of the wound; and one 
of the Spaniards died a day or two afterwards, of a wound 
received from a poisoned arrow. 

Pursuing his voyage, Columbus passed by a cluster of 
small islands, to which he gave the name of The Eleven 
Thousand Virgins, and arrived one evening in sight of 
a great island, covered with fine forests, and indented 
with havens. It was called by the natives Boriquen, but 
he named it San Juan Bautista ; it is the same since 
known by the name of Porto Rico. After running for 
a whole day along its beautiful coast, and touching at 
a bay at the west end, he arrived, on the 22d of Novem- 
ber, off the eastern extremity of Hayti, or Hispaniola. 
The greatest animation prevailed throughout the armada 
at the thoughts of soon arriving at the end of their voy- 
age, while those who had accompanied Columbus in the 
preceding expedition, looked forward to meeting with the 
comrades they had left behind, and to a renewal of pleas- 
ant scenes among the groves of Hayti. Passing by the 
gulf of Las Fleches, where the skirmish had occurred 
with the natives, Columbus set on shore one of the young 
Indians who had been taken from the neighborhood, and 
had accompanied him to Spain. He dismissed him finely 
apparelled and loaded with trinkets, anticipating favorable 
effects from the accounts he would be able to give to his 
countrymen of the power and munificence of the Span- 



106 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

iards, but he never heard any thing of him more. Only 
one Indian, of those who had been to Spain, remained 
in the fleet, a young Lucayan, native of the island of 
Guanahani, who had been baptized at Barcelona, and 
named after the admiral's brother, Diego Colon; he con- 
tinued always faithful and devoted to the Spaniards. 

Continuing along the coast, Columbus paused in the 
neighborhood of Monte Christi, to fix upon a place for 
a settlement, in the neighborhood of a stream said to 
abound in gold, to which, in his first voyage, he had 
given the name of Rio del Oro. Here, as the seamen 
were ranging the shore, they found the bodies of three 
men and a boy, one of whom had a rope of Spanish 
grass about his neck, and another, from having a beard, 
was evidently a European. The bodies were in a state 
of decay, but bore the marks of violence. This spectacle 
gave rise to many gloomy forebodings, and Columbus 
hastened forward to La Navidad, full of apprehensions 
that some disaster had befallen Diego de Arana and his 
companions. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

Fate of the Fortress of La J^avidad. — Transactions at 
the Harbor. [1493.] 

On the evening of the 27th of November, Columbus 
anchored opposite to the harbor of La Navidad, about a 
league from the land. As it was too dark to distinguish 
objects, he ordered two signal guns to be fired. The 
report echoed along the shore, but there was no gun, or 
light, or friendly shout in reply. Several hours passed 
away in the most dismal suspense; about midnight, a 
number of Indians came off in a canoe and inquired for 
the admiral, refusing to come on board until they should 
see him personally. Columbus showed himself at the 



OF COLUMBUS. 107 

side of his vessel, and a light being held up, his counte- 
nance and commanding person were not to be mistaken. 
The Indians now entered the ship without hesitation. 
One of them was a cousin of the cacique Guacanagari, 
and the bearer of a present from him. The first inquiry 
of Columbus was concerning the garrison. He was in- 
formed that several of the Spaniards had died of sickness, 
others had fallen in a quarrel among themselves, and others 
had removed to a different part of the island ; — that Gua- 
canagari had been assailed by Caonabo, the fierce cacique 
of the golden mountains of Cibao, who had wounded him 
in combat, and burnt his village, and that he remained ill 
of his wound, in a neighboring hamlet. 

Melancholy as were these tidings, they relieved Co- 
lumbus from the painful suspicion of treachery on the 
part of the cacique and people in whom he had confided, 
and gave him hopes of finding some of the scattered gar- 
rison still alive. The Indians were well entertained, and 
gratified with presents; on departing they promised to 
return in the morning with Guacanagari. The morning, 
however, dawned and passed away, and the day declined 
without the promised visit from the chieftain. There 
was a silence and an air of desertion about the whole 
neighborhood. Not a canoe appeared in the harbor; 
not an Indian hailed them from the land, nor was there 
any smoke to be seen rising from among the groves. 
Towards the evening, a boat was sent on shore to recon- 
noiter. The crew hastened to the place where the 
fortress had been erected. They found it burnt and de- 
molished; the palisadoes beaten down, and the ground 
strewed with broken chests, spoiled provisions, and the 
fragments of European garments. Not an Indian ap- 
proached them, and if they caught a sight of any lurking 
among the trees, they vanished on finding themselves per- 
ceived. Meeting no one from whom they could obtain 
information concerning this melancholy scene, they re- 
turned to the ships with dejected hearts. 

Columbus, himself, landed on the following morning, 
and repairing to the ruins of the fortress, caused diligent 
search to be made for the dead bodies of the garrison. 



108 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

Cannon and arquebuses were discharged to summon any 
survivors that might be in the neighborhood, but none 
made their appearance. Columbus had ordered Arana 
and his fellow officers, in case of sudden danger, to bury- 
all the treasures they might possess, or throw it in the 
well of the fortress. The well was therefore searched, 
and excavations were made among the ruins, but no gold 
was to be found. Not far from the fortress, the bodies 
of eleven Europeans were found buried in diflerent places, 
and they appeared to have been for some time in the 
ground. In the houses of a neighboring hamlet were 
found several European articles, which could not have 
been procured by barter. This gave suspicions that the 
fortress had been plundered by the Indians in the vicinity; 
while, on the other hand, the village of Guacanagari was 
a mere heap of burnt ruins, which showed that he and 
his people had been involved in the same disaster with 
the garrison. Columbus was for some time perplexed 
by these contradictory documents of a disastrous story. 
At length a communication was effected with some of 
the natives; their evident apprehensions were dispelled, 
and by the aid of the interpreter the fate of the garrison 
was more minutely ascertained. 

It appeared that Columbus had scarcely set sail for 
Spain, when all his counsels and commands faded from 
the minds of those who remained behind. Instead of 
cultivating the good will of the natives, they endeavored, 
by all kinds of wrongful means, to get possession of their 
golden ornaments and other articles of value, and seduced 
from them their wives and daughters. Fierce brawls 
occurred between themselves, about their ill-gotten spoils, 
or the favors of the Indian women. In vain did I)iego 
de Arana interpose his authority; all order, all subordi- 
nation, all unanimity, were at an end; factions broke out 
among them, and at length ambition arose to complete 
the destruction of this mimic empire. Pedro Gutierrez 
and Rodrigo de Escobedo, whom Columbus had left as 
lieutenants, to succeed Arana in case of accident, now 
aspired to an equal share in the authority. In the quar- 
rels which succeeded, a Spaniard was killed, and Guti- 



OF COLUMBUS. 109 

eriez and Escobedo, having failed in their object, with- 
drew from the fortress, with nine of their adherents, and 
a number of women, and set off for the mountains of 
Cibao, with the idea of procuring immense weahh from 
its golden mines. These mountains were in the territo- 
ries of the famous Caonabo, called by the Spaniards the 
lord of the golden house. He was a Carib by birth, and 
had come an adventurer to the island, but possessing the 
fierceness and enterprise of his nation, had gained such 
an ascendency over these simple and unwarlike people, 
as to make himself their most powerful cacique. The 
wonderful accounts of the white men had reached him 
among his mountains, and he had the shrewdness to per- 
ceive that his own tonsequence must decline before such 
formidable intruders. The departure of Columbus had 
given him hopes that their intrusion would be but tem- 
porary; the discords of those who remained increased 
his confidence. No sooner, therefore, did Gutierrez and 
Escobedo, with their companions, appear in his domin- 
ions, than he seized them and put them to death. He 
then assembled his subjects, and traversing the forests 
with profound secrecy, arrived in the vicinity of La Na- 
vidad without being discovered. But ten men remained 
in the fortress Avith Arana; the rest were living in care- 
less security in the village. In the dead of the night, 
Caonabo and his warriors burst upon the place with 
frightful yells, and set fire to the fortress and village. 
The Spaniards were completely taken by surprise. 
Eight were driven to the seaside, and rushing into the 
waves, were drowned; the rest were massacred. Guaca- 
nagari and his subjects fought faithfully in defence of their 
guests, but, not being of a warhke character, they were 
easily routed. The cacique was wounded in the conflict, 
and his village burnt to the ground. 

Such is the story of the first European establishment 
in the new world. It presents in a diminutive compass 
an epitome of the gross vices which degrade civilization, 
and the grand political errors which sometimes subvert 
the mightiest empires. All law and order were relaxed 
by licentiousness ; public good was sa( rificed to private 
10 I. 



110 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

interest and passion ; the community was convulsed by 
divers factions, until the whole body politic was shaken 
asunder by two aspiring demagogues, ambitious of the 
command of a petty fortress in a wilderness, and the 
supreme control of eight and thirty men ! 

This account of the catastrophe of the fortress satis- 
fied Columbus of the good faith of Guacanagari ; but 
circumstances concurred to keep alive the suspicions 
entertained of him by the Spaniards. Columbus paid 
a visit to the chieftain, whom he found in a neighboring 
village, suffering apparently from a bruise which he had 
received in the leg, from a stone. Several of his sub- 
jects, also, exhibited recent wounds, which had evidently 
been made by Indian weapons. The cacique was greatly 
agitated at seeing Columbus, and deplored with tears the 
misfortunes of the garrison. At the request of the ad- 
miral, his leg was examined by a Spanish surgeon, but 
no sign of a wound was to be seen, though he shrunk 
with pain whenever the leg was touched. As sometime 
had elapsed since the battle, the external bruise might 
have disappeared, while a tenderness might remain in the 
part. Many of the Spaniards, however, who had not 
witnessed the generous conduct of the cacique in the first 
voyage, looked upon his lameness as feigned, and the 
whole story of the battle a fabrication, to conceal his 
perfidy. Columbus persisted in believing him innocent, 
and invited him onboard of his ships, where the cacique 
was greatly astonished at the wonders of art and nature, 
brought from the old world. What most amazed him 
was the horses. He had never seen any but the most 
diminutive quadrupeds, and gazed with awe at the gran- 
deur of these noble animals, their great strength, terrific 
appearance, yet perfect docility. The sight of the Carib 
prisoners also increased his idea of the prowess of ihc 
Spaniards, having the hardihood to invade these terrible 
beings, even in their strong holds, while he could scarcely 
look upon them without shuddering, though in chains. 

On board the ship were several Indian women who 
had been captives to the Caribs. Among them was one 
distinguished above her companions by a certain loftiness 



OF COLUMBUS. 1 H 

of demeanor; she had been much noticed and admired 
by the Spaniards, who had given her the name of Cata- 
hna. She particularly attracted the attention of the 
cacique, who is represented to have been of an amor- 
ous complexion. He spoke to her repeatedly, with great 
gentleness of tone and manner, pity in all probability 
being mingled with his admiration, for, though rescued 
from the hands of the Caribs, she and her companions 
were still, in a manner, captives on board of the ship. 

A collation was served up for the entertainment of 
Guafcanagari, and Columbus endeavored by kindness and 
hospitality to revive their former cordial intercourse, but 
it was all in vain; the cacique was evidently distrustful 
and ill at ease. The suspicions of hio guilt gained 
ground among the Spaniards. Father Boyle, in particu- 
lar, regarded him with an evil eye, and advised Colum- 
bus, now that he had him securely on board of his ship, 
to detain him prisoner ; but Columbus rejected the 
counsel of the crafty friar, as contrary to sound policy 
and honorable faith. The cacique, however, accustomed 
in his former intercourse with the Spaniards to meet on 
every side with faces beaming with gratitude and friend- 
ship, could not but perceive the altered looks of cold sus- 
picion and secret hostility; notwithstanding the frank and 
cordial hospitality of the admiral, therefore, he soon 
took leave and returned to land. 

On the following day, there was a mysterious movement 
and agitation among the natives on shore. The brother 
of Guacanagari came on board, under pretext of barter- 
ing a quantity of gold, but, as it afterwards proved, to 
bear a message to Catalina, the Indian female, whose 
beauty had captivated the heart of the cacique, and whom, 
with a kind of native gallantry, he wished to deliver 
from bondage. 

At midnight, wlien the crew were buried in their first 
sleep, Catalina awakened her female companions, and 
proposed a bold attempt to gain their liberty. The ship 
was anchored full three miles from the shore, and the 
sea was rough; but these island women were accustomed 
to buffet with the waves, and the water was, to them, 



112 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

almost as their natural element. Letting themselves 
down silently from the side of the vessel, they trusted to 
the strength of their arms, and swam bravely for the 
shore. They were overheard by the watch, the alarm 
was given, the boats were manned and gave chase in the 
direction of a light blazing on the shore, an evident 
beacon for the fugitives. Such was the vigor of these 
sea nymphs, however, that they reached the land before 
they were overtaken. Four were captured on the beach, 
but the heroic Catalina, with the rest of her companions, 
escaped in safety to the forest. Guacanagari disappeared 
on the same day with all his household and effects, and 
it was supposed had taken refuge, with his island beauty, 
in the interior. His desertion gave redoubled force to 
the doubts heretofore entertained, and he was generally 
stigmatized as the perfidious destroyer of the garrison. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

Founding of the City of Isabella. — Discontents of the 
People. [1493.] 

The misfortunes which had befallen the Spaniards, 
both by sea and land, in the vicinity of this harbor, threw 
a gloom over the place, and it was considered by the 
superstitious mariners as under some baneful influence, 
or, malignant star. The situation, too, was low, moist, 
and unhealthy, and there was no stone in the neighbor- 
hood, for building. Columbus searched, therefore, for a 
more favorable place for his projected colony, and fixed 
upon a harbor about ten leagues east of Monte Christi, 
protected on one side by a natural rampart of rocks, and 
on the other by an impervious forest, with a fine plain 
in the vicinity, watered by two rivers. A great induce- 
ment, also, for settling here, was, that it was at no great 



OP COLUMBUS. 113 

distance from the mountains of Cibao, where the gold 
mmes were situated. 

The troops and the various persons to be employed in 
the colony were immediately disembarked, together with 
the stores, arms, ammunition, and all the cattle and live 
stock. An encampment was formed on the margin of 
the plain, round a sheet of water, and the plan of a town 
traced out, and the houses commenced. The public 
edifices, such as a church, a storehouse, and a residence 
or the admiral, were constructed of stone, the rest of 
wood, plaster, reeds, and such other materials as could 
be readily procured. Thus was founded the first Chris- 
tian city of the new world, to which Columbus gave the 
name of Isabella, in honor of his royal patrOness. 

For a time, every one exerted himself with zeal; but 
maladies soon began to make their appearance. Many 
had suffered from sea sickness, and the long confinement 
on board of the ships; others, from the exposures on 
the land, before houses could be built for their reception, 
and from the exhalations of a hot and moist climate, 
dense natural forests, and a new, rank soil, so trying to 
constitutions accustomed to a dry climate, and open, cul- 
tivated country. The important and hurried labors of 
building the city and cultivating the earth, bore hard upon 
the Spaniards, many of whom were unaccustomed to la- 
bor, and needed repose and relaxation. The maladies of 
the mind, also mingled with those of the body. Many, as 
has been shown, had embarked in the enterprise with the 
most visionary and romantic expectations. What, then, 
was their surprise at finding themselves surrounded by 
impracticable forests, doomed to toil painfully for mere 
subsistence, and to attain every comfort by the severest 
exertion! As to gold, which they had expected to find 
readily and in abundance, it was to be procured only in 
small quantities, and by patient and persevering labor. 
All these disappointments sank deep into their hearts, their 
spirits flagged as their golden dreams melted away, and 
the gloom of despondency aided the ravages of disease. 
Columbus, himself, was overcome by the fatigues, anxi- 
eties, and exposures he had suffered, and for several 
10* 



114 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

weeks was confined to his bed by severe illness; but hib 
energetic mind rose superior to the maladies of the body, 
and he continued to give directions about the building of 
the city, and the general concerns of the expedition. 

The greater part of the ships were ready to return to 
Spain, but he had no treasure to send with them. The 
destruction of the garrison had defeated all his hopes of 
finding a quantity of gold, amassed and ready to be sent 
to the sovereigns. It was necessary for him to do some- 
thing, however, before the vessels sailed, to keep up the 
reputation of his discoveries, and justify his own magnifi- 
cent representations. The region of the mines lay at 
a distance of but three or four days' journey, directly in 
the interior; the very name of the cacique, Caonabo, sig- 
nifying " the lord of the golden house," seemed to indi- 
cate the wealth of his dominions. Columbus determined, 
therefore, to send an expedition to explore them. If 
the result should answer to the accounts given by the 
Indians, he would be able to send home the fleet with 
confidence, bearing tidings of the discovery of the golden 
mountains of Cibao. 

The person chosen for this enterprise was Alonzo de 
Ojeda, who delighted in all service of an adventurous 
nature. He set out from the harbor early in January, 
1494, accompanied by a small number of well-aj'med 
men, several of them young and spirited cavaliers like 
himself. They crossed the first range of mountains by 
a narrow and winding Indian path, and descended into 
a vast plain, covered with noble forests, and studded 
with villages and hamlets. The inhabitants overwhelmed 
them with hospitality, and delayed them in their journey 
by their kindness. They had to ford many rivers, also, 
so that they were six days in reaching the chain of moun- 
tains, which locked up, as it were, the golden region of 
Cibao. Here they saw ample signs of natural wealth. 
The sands of the mountain streams glittered with parti- 
cles of gold; in some places they picked up large speci- 
mens of virgin ore, and stones streaked and richly 
impregnated with it. Ojeda, himself, found a mass of 
rude gold in one of the brooks, weighing nine ounces. 



OF COLUMBUS. 115 

The little band returned to the harbor, with enthusiastic 
accounts of the golden promise of these mountains. A 
young cavalier, named Gorvalan, who had been sent to 
explore a different tract of country, returned with simi- 
lar reports. Encouraged by these good tidings, Columbus 
lost no time in despatching twelve of the ships, under 
the command of Antonio de Torres, retaining only five 
for the service of the colony. By these ships he sent 
home specimens of the gold found among the mountains 
of Cibao, and of all fruits and plants of unknown and 
valuable species, together with the Carib captives, to be 
instructed in the Spanish language and the Christian 
faith, that they might serve as interpreters, and aid in the 
conversion of their countrymen. He wrote, also, a san- 
guine account of the two expeditions into the interior, 
and expressed a confident expectation, as soon as the 
health of himself and his people would permit, of pro- 
curing and making abundant shipments of gold, spices, 
and valuable drugs. He extolled the fertility of the soil, 
evinced in the luxuriant growth of the sugar cane, and of 
various European grains and vegetables; but entreated 
supplies of provisions for the in.ir.ediate wants of the 
colony, as their stores were nearly exhausted, and they 
could not accustom themselves to the diet of the natives. 
Among many sound and salutary suggestions in this 
letter, there was one of a pernicious tendency. In his 
anxiety to lighten the expenses of the colony, and pro- 
cure revenue to the crown, he recommended that the 
natives of the Caribbean Islands, being cannibals and 
ferocious invaders of their peaceful neighbors, should 
be captured and sold as slaves, or exchanged with mer- 
chants for live stock and other necessary supphes. He 
observed, that, by transmitting these infidels to Europe, 
where they would have the benefits of Christian instruc- 
tion, there would be so many souls snatched from perdi- 
tion, and so many converts gained to the faith. Such is 
the strange sophistry by which upright men may deceive 
themselves, and think they are obeying the dictates of 
their conscience, when, in fact, they are but listening to 
the incitements of their interest. It is but just to add, 



116 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

that the sovereigns did not accori with him in his ideas, 
but ordered that the Caribs should be treated hke the 
rest of the islanders; a command which emanated from 
the merciful heart of Isabella, who ever showed herself 
I he benign protectress of the Indians. 

When the fleet arrived in Europe, though it brought 
no gold, yet the tidings from Columbus and his com- 
panions kept up the popular excitement. The sordid 
calculations of petty spirits were as yet overruled by the 
enthusiasm of generous minds. There was something 
wonderfully grand in the idea of introducing new races 
of animals and plants, of building cities, extending colo- 
nies and sowing the seeds of civilization and of en- 
lightened empire in this beautiful but savage world. It 
struck the minds of learned and classical men with admi- 
ration, fining them with pleasant dreams and reveries, 
and seeming to realize the poetical pictures of the olden 
time; of Saturn, Ceres, and Triptolemus, travelling about 
the earth to spread new inventions among mankind, and 
of the colonizing enterprises of the Phenicians. 

But while such sanguine anticipations were indulged 
in Europe, murmuring and sedition began to prevail 
among the colonists. Disappointed in their hopes of 
wealth, disgusted with the labors imposed upon them, 
and appalled by the prevalent maladies, they looked with 
horror upon the surrounding wilderness, and became 
impatient to return to Spain. Their discontents were 
increased by one Firmin Cado, a wrong-headed and cap- 
tious man, who had come out as assayer and purifier of 
metals, but whose ignorance in his art equalled his obsti- 
nacy of opinion. He pertinaciously insisted that there 
was scarcely any gold in the island, and that all the speci- 
mens brought by the natives, had been accumulated in 
the course of several generations, and been handed dov/n 
from father to son in their families. 

At length a conspiracy was formed, headed by Bernal 
Diaz de Pisa, the comptroller, to take advantage of the 
illness of Columbus, to seize upon the ships remaining in 
the harbor, and to return to Spain; where they thought 
it would be easy to justify their conduct, by accusing Co- 



OF COLUMBUS. 117 

lumbus of gross deceptions and exaggerations concerning 
the countries he had discovered. Fortunately, Columbus 
received information in time, and arrested the nng-lead- 
ers of the conspiracy. Bernal Diaz was confined on 
board of one of the ships, to be sent to Spain for trial; 
and several of the inferior mutineers were punished, but 
not with the severity their offence deserved. This was 
the first time Columbus exercised the right of punishing 
delinquents in his new government, and it immediately 
caused a great clamor against him. Already the disad- 
vantage of being a foreigner was clearly manifested. He 
had no natural friends to rally round him; whereas the 
mutineers had connexions in Spain, friends in the colony, 
and met with sympathy in every discontented mind. 



CHAPTER XX. 

Expedition of Columbus into the Interior of Hispaniola 

[1494.] 

As the surest means of quieting the murmurs and 
rousing the spirits of his people, Columbus, as soon as 
his health permitted, made preparations for an expedi- 
tion to the mountains of Cibao, to explore the country, 
and establish a post in the vicinity of the mines. Placing 
his brother Diego in command at Isabella, during his ab- 
sence, and taking with him every person in health that 
could be spared from the settlement, and all the cavalry, 
he departed, on the 12th of March, at the head of four 
hundred men, armed with helmets and corselets, with 
arquebuses, lances, swords, and crossbows, and followed 
by laborers and miners, and a multitude of the neigh- 
boring Indians. After traversing a plain, and fording 
two rivers, they encamped in the evening at the foot of a 
wild and rocky pass of the mountains. 

The ascent of this defile presented formidable difficult 



118 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

ties to the little army, which was encumbered with vari« 
ous munitions, and with mining implements. There was 
nothing but an Indian footpath, winding among rocks 
and precipices, and the entangled vegetation of a tropical 
forest. A number of high-spirited young cavaliers, 
therefore, threw themselves in the advance, and aiding 
the laborers and pioneers, and stimulating them with 
promises of liberal reward, they soon constructed the first 
road formed by Europeans in the new world, which, in 
commemoration of their generous zeal, was called El 
Puerto delos Hidalgos, or the Pass of the Hidalgos. 

On the following day, the army toiled up this steep 
defile, and arrived where the gorge of the mountain 
opened into the interior. Here a glorious prospect burst 
upon their view. Below lay a vast and delicious plain, 
enamelled with all the rich variety of tropical vegetation. 
The magnificent forests presented that mingled beauty 
and majesty of vegetable forms, peculiar to these gener- 
ous climates. Palms of prodigious height, and spread- 
ing mahogany trees, towered from amid a wilderness of 
variegated foliage. ' Universal freshness and verdure were 
maintained by numerous streams which meandered gleam- 
ing through the deep bosom of the woodland, while 
various villages and hamlets seen among the trees, and 
the smoke of others rising out of the forests, gave signs 
of a numerous population. The luxuriant landscape ex- 
tended as far as the eye could reach, until it appeared to 
melt away and mingle with the horizon. The Spainards 
gazed with rapture upon this soft, voluptuous country, 
which seemed to realize their ideas of a terrestrial paradise, 
and Columbus, struck with its vast extent, gave it the 
name of Vega Real, or Royal Plain. 

Having descended the rugged pass, the army issued 
upon the plain, in military array, with great clangor of 
warlike instruments. When the Indians beheld this band 
of warriors, glittering in steel, emerging from the moun- 
tains with prancing steeds and floating banners, and heard, 
for the first time, their rocks and forests echoing to the 
din of drum and trumpet, they were bewildered with as 
tonishment. The horses especially excited their terroi 



OF COLUMBUS. 119 

and admiration. They at first supposed the rider and his 
steed to be one animal, and nothing could exceed their 
surprise on seeing the horsemen dismount. 

On the approach of the army, the Indians generally fled 
with terror, but their fears were soon dispelled; they then 
absolutely retarded the march of the army by their kind- 
ness and hospitality, nor did they appear to have any idea 
of receiving a recompense for the provisions they fur- 
nished in abundance. The untutored savage, in almost 
every part of the world, scorns to make a traffic of hos- 
pitality. 

For two or three days, they continued their march 
across this noble plain, where every scene presented the 
luxuriance of wild, micivilized nature. They crossed 
two large rivers; one, called the Yagui by the natives, 
was named by the admiral the river of Reeds ; to the other 
he gave the name of Rio Verde, or Green River, from 
the verdure and freshness of its banks. At length, they 
arrived at a chain of lofty and rugged mountains, which 
formed a kind of barrier to the vega, and amidst which 
lay the golden region of Cibao. On entering this vaunt- 
ed country, the whole character of the scenery changed, 
as if nature delighted in contrarieties, and displayed a 
miser-like poverty of exterior when teeming with hidden 
treasures. Instead of the soft, luxuriant landscape of the 
vega, nothing was to be seen but chains of rocky and ster- 
ile mountains, scantily clothed with pines. The very 
name of the country bespoke the nature of the soil; Ci- 
bao, in the language of the natives, signifying a stone. 
But what consoled the Spaniards for the asperity of the 
soil, was to observe particles of gold among the sands of 
the streams, which they regarded as earnests of the wealth 
locked up in the mountains. 

Choosing a situation in a neighborhood that seemed tc 
abound in niines, Columbus began to build a fortress, tc 
which he gave the name of St. Thomas, intended as a 
pleasant, though pious, reproof of Firmin Cado and his 
doubting adherents, who had refused to believe that the 
island contained gold, until they should behold it. with 
iheir eyes, and touch it with their hands. 



120 THE LIFE AND VOVAGES 

While the admiral remained superintending the build- 
ing of the fortress, he despatched a young cavalier of 
Madrid, named Juan de Luxan, with a small band of 
armed men, to explore the province. Luxan returned 
after a fe\r days, with the most satisfactory accounts 
He found many parts of Cibao more capable of cultiva- 
tion than those that had been seen by the admiral. The 
forests appeared to abound with spices; the trees were 
overrun with vines bearing clusters of grapes of pleasant 
flavor; while every valley and glen had its stream, yield- 
ing more or less gold, and showing the universal preva- 
lence of that precious metal. 

The natives of the surrounding country likewise flocked 
to the fortress of St. Thomas, bringing gold to exchange 
for European trinkets. One old man brought two pieces 
of virgin ore weighing an ounce, and thought himself 
richly repaid on receiving a hawk's bell. On remarking 
the admiration of the admiral at the size of these speci- 
mens, he assured him that in his country, which lay at 
half a day's distance, pieces were found as big as an 
orange. Others spoke of masses of ore as large as the 
head of a child, to be met with in their neighborhood. 
As usual, however, these golden tracts were always in 
some remote valley, or along some rugged and seques- 
tered stream; and the wealthiest spot was sure to lie at 
the greatest distance, — for the land of promise is ever 
beyond the mountain. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

Customs and Characteristics of the Mitives. 

The fortress of St. Thomas being nearly completed, 
Columbus left it in command of Pedro Margarite, a native 
of Catalonia, and knight of the order of Santiago, with a 
garrison of fifty-six men, and set out on his return tc 



Ob COLUMBUS. 121 

Isabella. He paused for a time in the vega to establish 
routes between the fortress and the harbor; during 
which time he sojourned in the villages, that his men 
might become accustomed to the food of the natives, 
and that a mutual good-will might grow .up between them. 

Columbus had already discovered the error of one of 
his opinions concerning these islanders, formed during 
his first voyage. They were not so entirely pacific, 
nor so ignorant of warlike arts, as he had imagined. 
The casual descents of the Caribs had compelled the 
inhabitants of the seacoast to acquaint themselves with 
the use of arms; and Caonabo had introduced something 
of his own warlike spirit into the centre of the island. 
Yet, generally speaking, the habits of the people were 
mild and gentle. Their religious creed was of a vague 
yet simple nature. They beheved in one Supreme Being, 
who inhabited the sky, who was immortal, omnipotent, 
and invisible, to whom they ascribed an origin, having 
had a mother, but no father. They never addressed 
their worship directly to him, but to inferior deities, 
called zemes, a kind of messengers, or mediators. Each 
cacique, each family, and each individual, had a particu- 
lar zeiTii as a tutelary or protecting genius; whose image, 
generally of a hideous form, was placed about their 
houses, carved on their furniture, and sometimes bound 
to their foreheads when they went to battle. They 
believed their zemes to be transferable, with all their 
beneficial powers; they, therefore, often'stole them from 
each other, and, when the Spaniards arrived, hid them 
away, lest they should be taken by the strangers. 

They believed that these zemes presided over every 
object in nature. Some had sway over the elements, 
causing sterile or abundant years, sending whirlwinds and 
tempests of rain and thunder, or sweet and temperate 
breezes, and prolific showers. Some governed the seas 
and forests, the springs and fountains, like the nereids, 
the dryads, and satyrs of antiquity. They gave success 
in hunting and fishing; they guided the mountain streams 
into safe channels, leading them to meander peacefully 
through the plains; or, if incensed, they caused them to 
U i. 



122 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

burst forth into floods and torrents, inundating and laying 
waste the valleys. 

The Indians were well acquainted with the medicinal 
properties of trees and vegetables. Their butios, or 
priests, acted as physicians, curing diseases with simples, 
but making use of many mysterious rites; chanting and 
burning a light in the chamber of the patient, and pretend- 
ing to exorcise the malady, and to send it to the sea or to 
the mountain. They practised also many deceptions, 
making the idols to speak with oracular voice, to enforce 
the orders of the caciques. 

Once a year, each cacique held a festival in honor of 
his zemi, when his subjects formed a procession to the 
temple, the married men and women decorated with 
their most precious ornaments; the young females entirely 
naked, carrying baskets of cakes, ornamented with flow- 
ers, and singing as they advanced, while the cacique beat 
time on an Indian drum. After the cakes had been 
offered to the zemi they were broken and distributed 
among the people, to be preserved in their houses as 
charms against all adverse accidents. The young females 
then danced to the cadence of songs in praise of their 
deities, and of the heroic actions of their ancient ca- 
ciques; and the whole ceremony concluded by a grand 
invocation to the zemi to watch over and protect the 
nation. 

The natives believed that their island of Hayti was 
the earliest part of creation, and that the sun and moon 
issued out of one of its caverns to give light to the uni- 
verse. This cavern still exists near Cape Francois, and 
the hole in the roof may still be seen from whence the 
Indians believed the sun and moon had sallied forth to 
take their places in the sky. It wns consecrated as a 
kind of temple; two idols were placed in it, and the 
walls were decorated with green branches. In times of 
great drought the natives made pilgrimages and processions 
to it, with songs and dances, and offerings of fruit and 
flow^ers. 

They ascribed Jo another cavern, the origin of the hu- 
man race, believing that the large men issued forth from 



OF COLUMBUS. 123 

a great aperture, but the little men from a little cranny. 
For a long time they dared venture from the cavern only 
in the night, for the sight of the sun was fatal to them, 
producing wonderful transformations. One of their num- 
ber, having lingered on a river's bank, where he was 
fishing, until the sun had risen, was turned into a bird of 
melodious note, which yearly, about the time of his trans- 
formation, is heard singing plaintively in the night bewail- 
ing his misfortune. This is the same bird which Colum- 
bus mistook for a nightingale. 

When the human race at length emerged from the 
cave, they for some time wandered about disconsolately 
without females, until, coming near a small lake, they 
beheld certain animals among the branches of the trees, 
which proved to be women. On attempting to catch 
them, however, they were found to be as slippery as eels, 
so that it was impossible to hold them, until they employed 
certain men whose hands had been rendered rough by a 
kind of leprosy. These succeeded in securing four of 
them ; and from these slippery females the world was 
peopled. 

Like most savage nations, they had a tradition con- 
cerning the deluge, equally fanciful with the preceding. 
They said that there once lived in the island a mighty 
cacique, whose only son conspiring against him, he slew 
him. He afterwards preserved his bones in a gourd, as 
was the custom of *the natives with the remains of their 
friends. On a subsequent day, the cacique and his wife 
opened the gourd to contemplate the bones of their son, 
when, to their surprise, several fish leaped out. Upon 
this the discreet cacique closed the gourd, and placed it 
on the top of his hut, boasting that he had the sea shut up 
within it, and could have fish whenever he pleased. Four 
brothers, however, children of the same birth, and curi- 
ous intermeddlers, hearing of this gourd, came during the 
absence of the cacique to peep into it. In their careless- 
ness they suffered it to fall upon the ground, where it 
was dashed to pieces; when, lo! to their astonishment 
and dismay, there issued forth a mighty flood, with dol- 
phins and sharks, and tumbhng porpoises, and great 



124 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

spouting whales; and the water spread until it overflowed 
the earth, and formed the ocean, leaving only the tops of 
the mountains uncovered, which are the present islands. 

They had singular modes of treating the dying and the 
dead. When the life of a cacique was despaired of, they 
strangled him, out of a principle of respect, rather than 
suffer him to die like the vulgar. Common people, in 
like situation, were extended in their hammocks, bread 
and water placed beside them, and they were then aban- 
doned to die in solitude. Sometimes they were carried 
to the cacique, and if he permitted them the distinction, 
they were strangled. The body of the deceased was 
sometimes consumed with fire in his habitation; sometimes 
the bones were retained, or the head, or a limb, and 
treasured up among the family reUcks. After the death 
of a cacique, his body was opened, dried at a fire, and 
preserved. 

They had confused notions of the existence of the 
soul when separated from the body, and believed in ap- 
paritions of the deceased. They had an idea that the 
spirits of good men after death were reunited to the spir- 
its of those they had most loved, and to those of their 
ancestors; they were transported to a happy region, gen- 
erally supposed to be near a lake, in the beautiful province 
of Xaragua, in the western part of the island. Here they 
hved in shady and blooming bowers, with lovely females, 
and banqueted on delicious fruits. 

The dances to which the natives were so addicted 
were not mere idle pastimes, but were often ceremonials 
of a religious and mystic nature. In these were typified 
their historical events- and their projected enterprises, 
whether of war or hunting. They were performed to 
the chant of certain metres and ballads handed down from 
generation to generation; some of a sacred character, 
containing their notions of theology and their religious 
fables; others heroic and historic, rehearsing the deeds 
of their ancestors. These rhymes they called areytos, 
and sang them to the accompaniment of rude timbrels, 
made from the shells of certain fishes, or to the sound of 
a drum made from a hollow tree. 



OF COLUMBUS. 135 

The natives appeared to the Spaniards to be an idle 
and improvident race, and indifterent to most of the ob- 
jects of human anxiety and toil. They were impatient 
of all kinds of labor, scarcely giving themselves the 
trouble to cultivate the yuca root, the maize, and the 
sweet potato, which formed their main articles of food. 
They loitered away existence under -the shade of their 
trees, or amusing themselves occasionally with their games 
and dances. 

In fact, they were destitute of all powerful motives to 
toil, being free from most of those wants which doom 
mankind, in civilized life, and in less genial climes, to 
incessant labor. In the soft region of the vega, the 
circling seasons brought each its store of fruits, and 
while some were gathered in full maturity, others were 
ripening on the boughs, and buds and blossoms gave 
promise of still succeeding abundance. What need was 
there of garnering up and anxiously providing for coming 
days, to men who lived amid a perpetual harvest? What 
need, too, of toilfully spinning or laboring at the loom, 
where a genial temperature prevailed throughout the year, 
and neither nature nor custom prescribed the necessity of 
clothing ? 

The hospitality which characterizes men in such a 
simple and easy mode of existence, was evinced towards 
Columbus and his followers, during their sojourn in the 
vega. Wherever they went, it was a continual scene of 
festivity and rejoicing, and the natives hastened from all 
parts to lay the treasures of their groves, and streams, 
and mountains, at the feet of beings whom they still con- 
sidered as descended from the skies, to bring blessings to 
their island. 

As we accompany Columbus, in imagination, on his 
return to the harbor, over the rocky height from whence 
the vega first broke upon the eye of the Spaniards, we 
cannot help pausing, to cast back a look of mingled pity 
and admiration, over this beautiful, but devoted region. 
The dream of natural liberty and ignorant content, was 
as yet unbroken, but the fiat had gone forth; the white 
man had penetrated into the land; avarice, and pride, and 
11* 



126 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

ambition, and sordid care, and pining labor, were soon 
to follow, and the indolent paradise of the Indian was 
about to disappear for ever. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

tSickness and Discontent at the Settlement of Isabella. — 
Preparations of Columbus for a Voyage to Cuba. 
[1494.] 

Columbus had scarcely returned to the harbor, when 
a messenger arrived from Pedro Margarite, the com- 
mander at Fort St. Thomas, informing him that the In- 
dians of the vicinity had abandoned their villages, and 
broken off all intercourse, and that he understood Cao- 
nabo was assembling his warriors to attack the fortress. 
From what the admiral had seen of the Indians in the 
interior, and the awe in which they stood of the white 
men and their horses, he felt little apprehensions from 
their hostility, and contented himself with sending a re- 
enforcement of twenty men to the fortress, and detaching 
thirty more to open the road between it and the port. 
What gave him most anxiety, was the distress which 
continued to increase in the settlement. The heat and 
humidity of, the climate, which gave wonderful fecundity 
to the soil, and rapid growth to all European vegetables, 
were fatal to the people. The exhalations from undrain- 
ed marshes, and a vast continuity of forest, and the action 
of the sun upon a reeking vegetable soil, produced inter- 
mittent fevers, and those other violent maladies so trying 
to European constitutions in the uncultivated countries 
of the tropics. The greater part of the colonists were 
either confined by illness, or reduced to great debility. 
The stock of medicines was exhausted; European pro- 
visions began to fail, much having been spoiled and much 
wasted. To avert an absolute famine, it was necessary 



OF COLUMBUS. 127 

to put the people upon allowance ; this immediately 
caused loud murmurs, in which many in office, who ought 
to have supported Columbus in his measures for the com- 
mon safety, took a leading part. Among the number 
was Friar Boyle, who was irritated at himself and his 
household being put on the same allowance with the rest 
of the community. 

It was necessary, also, to construct a mill immediate- 
ly, to grind the corn, as all the flour was exhausted. 
Most of the workmen, however, were ill, and Columbus 
was obliged to put every healthy person in requisition, 
not even excepting cavaliers and gentlemen of rank. 
As many of the latter refused to comply, he enforced 
their obedience by compulsory measures. This was an- 
other cause of the deep and lasting hostilities that sprang 
up against him. He was inveighed against, both by the 
cavaliers in the colony and their famihes in Spain, as an 
upstart foreigner, inflated with sudden authority, and who, 
in pursuit of his own profit and aggrandizement, trampled 
upon the dignity of Spanish gentlemen, and insulted the 
honor of the nation. 

The fate, in truth, of many of the young cavaliers who 
had come out in this expedition, deluded by romantic 
dreams, was lamentable in the extreme. Some of them, 
of noble and opulent connexions, had been brought up in 
ease and indulgence, and were little calculated to endure 
the hardships and privations of a new settlement in the 
wilderness. When they fell ill, their case soon became 
incurable. The}^ suffered under the irritation of wound- 
ed pride, and the morbid melancholy of disappointed 
hope; their sick-bed was destitute of the tender care and 
soothing attention to which they had been accustomed, 
and they sank into the grave in all the suUenness of de- 
spair, cursing the day that they had left their country. 
So strong an effect had the untimely and dreary death 
of these cavaliers upon the public mind, that, many 
years afterwards, when the settlement of Isabella was 
abandoned and had fallen to ruins, its deserted streets 
were said to be haunted by their spectres, walking about 
in ancient Spanish dresses, saluting the way-farer in 



128 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

Stately and mournful silence, and vanishing on being ac- 
costed. Their melancholy story was insidiously made 
use of by the enemies of the admiral, for it was said 
that they had been seduced from their homes by his de- 
lusive promises, and sacrificed by him to his private inter- 
ests. 

Columbus was desirous of departmg on a voyage to 
explore the coast of Cuba, but it was indispensable, be- 
fore sailing, to place the affairs of the island in such a 
state as to insure tranquillity. For this purpose he de- 
termined to send all the men that could be spared from 
the concerns of the city, or the care of the sick, into the 
interior, where they could be subsisted among the natives, 
and become accustomed to their diet, while their force 
would overawe the machinations of Caonabo, or any 
other hostile cacique. A little army was accordingly 
mustered of two hundred and fifty crossbow-men, one 
hundred and ten arquebusiers, sixteen horsemen, and 
twenty officers. These were to be commanded by Pedro 
Margarite, while Ojeda was to succeed him in the com- 
mand of Fort St. Thomas. 

Columbus wrote a long and earnest letter of instruc- 
tions to Margarite, desiring him to make a military tour, 
and to explore the principal parts of the island; but en- 
joining on him the strictest discipline of his army, and 
the most vigilant care to protect the rights of the Indians, 
and cultivate their friendship. Ojeda set off at the head 
of the little army for the fortress; on his way he learnt 
that three Spaniards had been robbed of their effects by 
five Indians, at the ford of one of the rivers of the vega, 
and that the delinquents had been sheltered by their 
cacique, who had shared their booty. Ojeda was a quick 
and impetuous soldier, whose ideas were all of a military 
kind. He seized one of the thieves, ordered his ears to 
be cut off in the public square of the village, and sent the 
cacique, with his son and nephew, in chains to the admiral, 
who, after terrifying them with preparations for a public 
execution, pretended to yield to the tears and entreaties 
of their friends, and set them at liberty. 

Having thus distributed his forces about the island, 



OF COLUMBUS. 120 

and taken measures for its tranquillity, Columbus formed 
a junta for its government, of which his brother Don 
Diego was president, and Father Boyle, Pedro Fernan- 
dez Coronal, Alonzo Sanchez Caravajal, and Juan de 
Laxan, were counsellors. Leaving in the harbor two of 
his largest ships, which drew too much water to explore 
unknown coasts and rivers, he set sail on the 24th of 
April, with the Nina or Santa Clara, the San Juan, and 
the Cordera. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

Cruise of Columbus along the Southern Coast of Cuba. 
[1494.] 

The plan of the present expedition of Columbus was, 
to revisit Cuba at the point where he had abandoned it 
on his first voyage, and thence to explore it on the 
southern side. As has already been observed, he sup- 
posed it to be a continent, and the extreme end of Asia; 
and if so, by following its shores in the proposed direc- 
tion, he trusted to arrive at Mangi, and Cathay, and other 
rich and commercial, though semi-barbarous countries, 
forming part of the territories of the Grand Khan, as 
described by Mandeville and Marco Polo. 

Having arrived, on the 29th of April, at the eastern 
end of Cuba, to which in his preceding voyage he had 
given the name of Alpha and Omega, but which is now 
known as Cape Maysi, he sailed along the southern coast, 
touching once or twice in the harbors. The natives 
crowded to the shores, gazing with astonishment at the 
ships as they glided gently along at no great distance. 
They held up fruits and other provisions, to tempt the 
Spaniards to land, while others came off in canoes, offer- 
ing various refreshments, not in barter, but as free gifts. 
On inquiring of them for gold, they uniformly pointed to 



130 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

the south, intimating that a great island lay in that direc- 
tion, where it was to be found in abundance. On the 
3d of May, therefore, Columbus turned his prow directly 
south, and abandoning the coast of Cuba for a time, 
steered in quest of this reported island. He had not 
sailed many leagues before the blue summits of Jamaica 
began to rise above the horizon. It was two days and a 
night, however, before he reached it, filled with admira- 
tion as he gradually drew near, at its vast extent, the 
beauty of its mountains, the majesty of its forests, and 
the great number of villages which animated the whole 
face of the country. 

He coasted the island from about the centre to a port 
at the western end, which he called the gulf of Buen- 
tiempo. He found the natives more ingenious as well 
as more warlike than those of Cuba and Hayti. Their 
canoes were constructed with more art, and ornamented 
at the bow and stern with carving and painting. Many 
were of great size, though formed of the hollow trunks 
of single trees, often a species of the mahogany. Colum- 
bus measured one which proved to be ninety-six feet 
long and eight broad ; it was hollowed out of one of 
those magnificent trees which rise like verdant towers 
amidst the rich forests of the tropics. Every cacique 
possessed a large canoe of the kind, which he seemed 
to regard as his galley of state. The Spaniards at first 
were treated with hostility, and were compelled to skir- 
mish with the natives, but a friendly intercourse suc- 
ceeded. 

Columbus being disappointed in his hopes of finding 
gold in Jamaica, and the breeze being fair for Cuba, he 
determined to return thither. Just as he was about to 
sail, a young Indian came off to the ship, and begged 
that the Spaniards would take him with them to their 
country. He was followed by his relatives and friends, 
supplicating him to abandon his purpose. For some time 
he was distracted between concern for their distress, and 
an ardent desire to see the home of the wonderful stran- 
gers. Curiosity, and the youthful propensity to rove, at 
length prevailed ; he tore himself from the embraces of 



OP COLUMBUS. 131 

his friends, and took refuge in a secret part of the ship, 
from the tears and entreaties of his sisters. Touched by 
this scene of natural affection, and pleased with the con- 
fiding spirit of the youth, Columbus ordered that he should 
be treated with especial kindness. 

It would have been interesting to have known some 
thing more of this curious savage, and of the eifect which 
the first sight of the land of the white men had upon his 
mind; whether it equalled his hopes; or whether, as is 
usual with savages, -he pined, amidst the splendors of 
cities, for his native forests; and whether he ever re- 
turned to the arms of his family. The Spanish voyagers, 
however, were indifferent to these matters; no further 
mention is made in their narratives of this youthful ad- 
venturer. 

Having steered again for Cuba, Columbus, on the 18th 
of May, arrived at a great cape, to which he gave the 
name of Cabo de la Cruz, which it still retains. Coast- 
ing to the west, he soon got entangled in a complete 
labyrinth of small islands and keys, some of them were 
low, naked and sandy, others covered with verdure, and 
others tufted with lofty and beautiful forests. To this 
archipelago, which extended as far as the eye could reach, 
and, in a manner, enamelled the face of the ocean with 
variegated verdure, he gave the name of the Queen's 
Garden. He persuaded himself that these were the 
islands mentioned by Sir John Mandeville and Marco 
Polo, as fringing the coast of Asia; if so, he must soon 
arrive at the dominions of the Grand Khan. 

There was much in the character of the scenery to 
favor the idea. As the ships glided along the smooth 
and glassy channels which separated the islands, the mag- 
nificence of their vegetation, the soft odors wafted from 
flowers, and blossoms, and aromatic shrubs, the splendid 
plumage of scarlet cranes, flamingoes, and other tropical 
birds, and the gaudy clouds of butterflies, all resembled 
what is described of oriental climes. 

Emerging from the labyrinth of the Queen's Garden, 
Columbus pursued his voyage with a prosperous breeze 
along that part of the southern side of Cuba, where, for 



132 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

nearly thirty-five leagues, the navigation is free from 
banks and islands, to his left was the broad and open sea, 
whose dark-blue color gave token of ample depth; to his 
right extended a richly-wooded country, called Ornofay, 
with noble mountains, frequent streams, and numerous 
villages. The appearance of the ships spread wonder 
and joy along the coast. The natives came off swim- 
ming, or in canoes, to offer fruits and other presents. 
After the usual evening shower, when the breeze b^ew 
from the shore, and brought off the sweetness of the 
land, it bore with it also the distant songs of the natives, 
and tile sound of their rude music, as they were proba- 
bly celebrating, with their national chants and dances, 
the arrival of these v/onderful strangers on their coasts. 

Animated by the delusions of his fancy, Columbus 
continued to follow up this supposed continent of Asia; 
plunging into another wilderness of keys and islets towards 
the western end of Cuba, and exploring that perplexed 
and lonely coast, whose intricate channels are seldom 
visited, even at the present day, except by the lurking 
bark of the smuggler and the pirate. 

In this navigation he had to contend with almost in- 
credible difficulties and perils; his vessels having to be 
warped through narrow and shallow passages, where they 
frequently ran aground. He was encouraged to proceed 
by information which he received, or fancied he receiv- 
ed, from the natives, concerning a country farther on 
called Mangon, where the people wore clothing, and 
which he supposed must be Mangi, the rich Asiatic prov- 
ince described by Marco Polo. He also understood 
from them, that among the mountains to the west there 
was a powerful king, who reigned in great state over 
many populous provinces ; that he wore a white garment 
which swept the ground, that he was called a saint, and 
never spoke, but communicated his orders to his subjects 
by signs. In all this, we see the busy imagination of 
Columbus interpreting the imperfectly understood com- 
munications of the Indians into unison with his precon- 
ceived ideas. This fancied king with a saintly title was 
;)rob;ihlv cniiiMifv] up in his mind by some descriptions 



OF COLUMBUS. 133 

which he thought accorded with what he had read of that 
mysterious potentate Prester John, who had long figured, 
sometimes as a monarch, sometimes as a priest, in the 
narrations of all eastern travellers. His crews seem to 
have partaken of his delusion. One day a party being 
sent on shore for wood and water, while they were em- 
ployed in cutting wood and filling their water casks, an 
archer strayed into the forest, with his crossbow, in 
search of game, but soon returned, flying in breathless 
terror. He declared that he had seen through an open- 
ing glade a man dressed in long white robes, followed by 
two others in white tunics reaching to their knee's, and 
that they had complexions as fair as Europeans. 

Columbus was rejoiced at this intelligence, hoping 
that he had found the clothed inhabitants of Mangon. 
Two parties were despatched, well armed, in quest of 
these people in white: the first returned unsuccesful; 
the other brought word of having tracked the footprints 
of some large animal with claws, supposed by them to 
have been either a lion or a griffin ; but which most 
probably was an alligator. Dismayed at the sight, they 
hastened back to the seaside. As no tribe of Indians 
wearing clothing was ever discovered in Cuba, it is 
probable the men in while were nothing else than a flock 
of cranes, seen by the wandering archer. These birds, 
like the flamingoes, feed in company, with one stationed 
at a distance as a sentinel. When seen through an open- 
ing of the woodlands, standing in rows in a shallow glassy 
pool, their height and erectness give them, at first 
glance, the semblance of human figures. 

12 1. 



134 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 



CHAPTER XXIV 

Return Voyage. [1494.] 

Columbus now hoped, by continuing on, to arrive 
ultimately at the Aura Chersonesus of the ancients; 
doubling which, he might make his way to the Red Sea, 
thence to Joppa, and so by the Mediterranean to Spain; 
or might circumnavigate Africa, pass triumphantly by 
the Portuguese as they were groping along the coast of 
Guinea, and after having thus circumnavigated the globe, 
furl his adventurous sails at the Pillars of Hercules, the 
ne plus ultra of the ancient world. But, though his fel- 
low-voyagers shared his opinion that they were coasting 
the continent of Asia, they were far from sharing his 
enthusiasm, and shrunk from the increasing perils of the 
voyage. The ships were strained and crazed by fre- 
quently running aground. The cables and rigging were 
much worn, the provisions nearly exhausted, and the 
crews worn out and disheartened by incessant labor. 
The admiral, therefore, was finally persuaded to abandon 
all further prosecution of -the voyage; but, before he 
turned back, he obliged the whole of the officers and 
seamen to sign a deposition, declaring their perfect con- 
viction that Cuba was a continent, the beginning and the 
end of India. This singular instrument was signed near 
that deep bay called by some the bay of Philipina, b;' 
others, of Cortes. At this very time, a ship-boy from 
the mast-head might have overlooked the group of islands 
to the south, and have beheld the open sea beyond. 
Had Columbus continued on for two or three days long- 
er, he would have passed round the extremity of Cuba; 
his illusion would have been dispelled, and an entirely 
different course might have been given to his subsequent 
discoveries. 

Returning now towaids the east, the crews suffered 



OF COLUMBUS. 135 

excessively from fatigue, and a scarcity of provisions. 
At length, on the 7th of July, they anchored at the 
mouth of a fine river, in a genial and abundant country, 
which they had previously visited, as they had come 
down along the coast. Here the natives brought them 
provisions of various kinds. It was a custom with Co- 
lumbus to erect crosses in all remarkable places, to de- 
note the discovery of the country, and its subjugation to 
the true faith. This was done on the banks of this river, 
on a Sunday morning, with great ceremony. Columbus 
was attended by the cacique, and by his principal favor- 
ite, a venerable Indian, fourscore years of age. While 
mass was performed in a stately grove, the natives looked 
on with awe and reverence. When it was ended, 
the old man of fourscore made a speech to Columbus in 
the Indian manner. " I am told," said he, "that thou 
hast lately come to these lands with a mighty force, and 
hast subdued many countries, spreading great fear among 
the people; but be not therefore vain-glorious. Know 
that, according to our belief, the souls of men have two 
journeys to perform after they have departed from the 
body; one to a place dismal, foul, and covered with 
darkness, prepared for such as have been unjust and cruel 
to their fellow men ; the other full of delight, for such 
as have promoted peace on earth. If, then, thou art 
mortal, and dost expect to die, beware that thou hurt no 
man wrongfully, neither do harm to those who have done 
no harm to thee." 

When this speech was explained to Columbus by his 
interpreter, he was greatly moved by the simple elo- 
quence of this untutored savage, and rejoiced to hear his 
doctrine of a future state of the soul, having supposed 
that no belief of the kind existed among the inhabitants 
of these countries. He assured the old man that he had 
been sent by his sovereigns to teach them the true reli- 
gion, to protect them from harm, and to subdue their 
enemies the Caribs. The venerable Indian was exceed- 
ingly astonished to learn that the admiral, whom he had 
considered so great and powerful, was yet but a subject; 
and when he was told by the interpreter, who had been 



i.36 THE LIFE AND VOyAGES 

in Spain, of the grandeur of the Spanish monarchs, and 
of the wonders of their kingdom, a sudden desire seized 
him to embark with the admiral, and accompany him to 
see this wonderful country, and it was with difficulty the 
tears and remonstrances of his wife and children could 
dissuade him from his purpose. 

After leaving this river, to which, from the solemn 
mass performed on its banks, Columbus gave the name 
of Rio de la Misa, he continued on to Cape Cruz, and 
then stood over to Jamaica, to complete the circumnavi- 
gation of that island. For nearly a month he continued 
beating to the eastward along its southern coast, coming 
to anchor every evening under the land, and making but 
slow progress. Anchoring one evening in a great bay. 
he was visited by a cacique with a numerous train, who 
remained until a late hour conversing with the Lucayan 
interpreter, who had been in Spain, about the Spaniards 
and their country, and their prowess in vanquishing the 
Caribs. 

On the following morning, when the ships were under 
weigh, they beheld three canoes issuing from among the 
islands of the bay. The centre one was large, and 
handsomely carved and painted. In it were seated the 
cacique and his family, consisting of two daughters, 
young and beautiful, two sons, and five brothers. They 
were all arrayed in their jewels, and attended by the 
officers of the chieftain, decorated with plumes and man- 
tles of variegated feathers. The standard-bearer stood 
in the prow with a fluttering \vhite banner, while other 
Indians, fancifully painted, beat upon tabors, or sounded 
trumpets of fine black woocl ingeniously carved. The 
cacique, entering on board of the ship, distributed pres- 
ents among the crew, and approaching the admiral, "I 
have heard," said he, "of the irresistible power of thy 
sovereigns, and of the many nations thou hast subdued 
in their name. Thou hast destroyed the dwellings of the 
Caribs, slaying their warriors, and carrying their wives 
and children into captivity. All the islands are in dread 
of thee, for who can withstand thee, now that thou 
knowest the secrets of the land, and the weakness of tho 



OP COLUMBUS. 137 

people? Rather, therefore, than thou shouldst take 
away my dominions, I will embark with all my house- 
hold in thy ships, and will go to render homage to thy 
king and queen, and behold thy country, of which I hear 
such wonders." 

When thi-s speech was interpreted to Columbus, and 
he beheld the wife, the sons, and daughters of the ca- 
cique, and considered to what ills they would be exposed, 
he was touched with compassion, and determined not to 
take them from their native land. He received the ca- 
cique under his protection, as a vassal of his sovereigns, 
but informed him, that he had many lands yet to visit, 
before he should return to his own country. He dis- 
missed him, therefore, for the present, promising that at 
some future time he would gratify his wishes. 

On the 19th of August, Columbus lost sight of the 
eastern extremity of Jamaica, and on the following day 
made that long peninsula of Hayti, since called Cape Ti- 
buron, but to which he gave the name of San Miguel. 
He coasted the whole of the southern side of the island, 
and had to take refuge in the channel of Saona, from a 
violent storm which raged for several days, during which 
time he suffered great anxiety for the fate of the other 
vessels, which remained at sea, exposed to the fury of 
the tempest. Being rejoined by them, and the weather 
having moderated, beset sail eastward with the intention 
of completing the discovery of the Caribbee Islands, but 
his physical strength did not correspond to the efforts of 
his spirit. The extraordinary fatigues which he had suf- 
fered both in mind and body, during this harassing voy- 
age, which had lasted for five months, had secretly preyed 
upon his health. He had shared in all the hardships and 
privations of the common seamen, and he had cares and 
trials from which they were exempt. When the sailor, 
worn out with the labors of his watch, slept soundly, in 
spite of the howling of the storms, the anxious com- 
mander maintained his painful vigil, through long sleepless 
nights, amidst the pelting of the tempest and the drench- 
ing surges of the sea, for the safety of the ships depended 
upon his watchfulness. During a great part of the voyage, 
12* 



/38 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

he had oeen excited by the hope of soon arriving at the 
known parts of India; he was afterwards stimulated by a; 
conflict with hardships and perils, as he made his way 
back against contrary winds and currents. The moment 
he was relieved from all solicitude, and found himself in 
a tranquil sea, which he had already explored, the ex- 
citement suddenly ceased, and mind and body sunk ex- 
hausted by almost superhuman exertions. He fell into 
a deep lethargy, resembling death itself. His crew feared 
that death was really at hand. They abandoned, there- 
fore, all farther prosecution of the voyage, and spreading 
their sails to a favorable breeze from the east, bore Co- 
lumbus back, in a state of complete insensibihty, to the 
harbor of Isabella. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

Events in the Island of Hlspaniola. — Insurrections of 
the J\*atives. — Expedition of Ojeda against Caonabo. 
[1494.] 

A JOYFUL and heartfelt surprise awaited Columbus on 
his arrival, in finding at his bedside his brother Bartho- 
lomew, the companion of his youth, his zealous coad- 
jutor, and, in a manner, his second self, from whom he 
had been separated for several years. It will be recol- 
lected, that about the time of the admiral's departure for 
Portugal, he commissioned Bartholomew to repair to 
England, and offer his project of discovery to Henry the 
Seventh. Various circumstances occurred to delay this 
application. There is reason to believe that, in the 
interim, he accompanied Bartholomew Diaz in that cele- 
brated voyage, in the course of which the Cape of Good 
Hope was discovered. On his way to England, also, 
Bartholomew Columbus was captured by a corsair, and 
reduced to extreme poverty. It is but justice to the 



OP COLUMBUS. 139 

memory of Henry the Seventh to say, that when, after a 
• lapse of several years, the proposition was eventually made 
to him, it met with a more prompt attention than it had 
received from any other sovereign. An agreement was 
actually made with Bartholomew, for the prosecution of 
the enterprise, and the latter departed for Spain in search 
of his brother. On reaching Paris, he received intel- 
ligence that the discovery was already made, and that his 
brother was actually at the Spanish court, enjoying his 
triumph, and preparing to sail on a second expedition. 
He hastened to rejoin him, and was furnished by the 
French monarch, Charles the Eighth, with a hundred 
crowns to defray the expenses of the journey. He reach- 
ed Seville just as his brother had sailed; but being an ac- 
complished navigator, the sovereigns gave him the com- 
mand of three ships, freighted with supplies for the colony, 
and sent him to aid his brother in his enterprises. He 
again arrived too late, reaching the settlement of Isabella 
just after the departure of the admiral for the coast of 
Cuba. 

The sight of this brother was an inexpressible relief 
to Columbus, disabled as he was by sickness, over- 
whelmed with cares, and surrounded by strangers. His 
chief dependence had hitherto been upon his brother, 
Don Diego; but the latter was of a mild and peaceable 
disposition, with an incHnation for a clerical life, and 
was but little fitted to manage the affairs of a factious 
colony. Bartholomew was of a different and more 
efficient character. He was prompt, active, decided, and 
of a fearless spirit; whatever he determined he carried 
into instant execution, without regard to difficulty or 
danger. His person corresponded to his mind; it was 
tall, muscular, vigorous, and commanding. He had an 
air of great authority, but somewhat stern, wanting that 
sweetness and benignity which tempered the authoritative 
demeanor of the admiral. Indeed, there was a certain 
asperity in his temper, and a dryness and abruptness in 
his manners, which made him many enemies; yet, not- 
withstanding these external defects, he was of a generous 



140 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

disposition, free from arrogance or malevolence, and as 
placable as he was brave. 

He was a thorough seaman, both in theory and prac- 
tice, having been formed, in a great measure, under the 
eye of the admiral, to whom he was but httle inferior in 
science. He was acquainted with Latin, but does not 
appear to have been highly educated, his knowledge, 
hke that of his brother, being chiefly derived from a long 
course of varied experience and attentive observation, 
aided by the studies of maturer years. Equally vigorous 
and penetrating in intellect with the admiral, but less en- 
thusiastic in spirit and soaring in imagination, and with 
less siznplicity of heart, he surpassed him in the adroit 
management of business, was more attentive to pecuniary 
interests, and had more of that worldly wisdom which 
is so important in the ordinary concerns of life. His 
genius might never have excited him to the sublime 
speculation which led to the discovery of a world, but his 
practical sagacity was calculated to turn that discovery 
to more advantage. 

Anxious to relieve himself from the pressure of pub- 
lic business during his present malady, Columbus imme- 
diately invested his brother with the title and authority 
of adelantado, an office equivalent to that of lieutenant 
governor. He felt the importance of his assistance in 
the present critical state of the colony, for, during the 
few months that he had been absent, the whole island had 
become a scene of violence and discord. A brief retro- 
spect is here necessary, to explain the cause of this con- 
fusion. 

Pedro Margarite, to whom Columbus, on his depar- 
ture, had given orders to make .a military tour of the 
island, set forth on his expedition with the greater part 
of the forces, leaving Alonzo de Ojeda in command of 
Fort St. Thomas. Instead, however, of proceeding on 
his tour, Margarite lingered among the populous and 
hospitable villages of the vega, where he and his sol- 
diery, by their licentious and oppressive conduct, soon 
roused the indignation and hatred of the natives. Ti- 
dings of their excesses reached Don Diego Columbus, 



OP COLUMBUS. 141 

who, with the concurrence of the council, wrote to Mar- 
garite, reprehending his conduct, and ordering him to 
depart on his tour. Margarite rephed in a haughty and 
arrogant tone, pretending to consider himself independ- 
ent in his command, and ahove all responsibility to Dod 
Diego or his council. He was supported in his tone of 
defiance by the kind of aristocratical party composed of 
the idle cavaHers of the colony, who had been deeply 
wounded in the pundonor, the proud punctilio so jealous- 
ly guarded by a Spaniard, and affected to look down 
with contempt upon the newly-coined nobility of Don 
Diego, and to consider Columbus and his brothers mere 
mercenary and upstart foreigners. In addition to these 
partisans, Margarite had a powerful ally in his fellow 
countryman. Friar Boyle, the apostolical vicar for the 
new world, an intriguing man, w^io had conceived a 
violent hostility against the admiral, and had become 
disgusted with his mission to the wilderness. A cabal 
was soon formed of most of those who were disaffected 
to the admiral, and discontented with their abode in the 
colony. Margarite and Friar Boyle acted as if possessed 
of paramount authority; and, without consulting Don 
Diego or the council, took possession of certain ships in 
the harbor, and set sail for Spain, with their adherents. 
They were both favorites of the king, and deemed it 
would be an easy matter to justify their abandonment of 
their military and religious commands, by a pretended 
zeal for the public good, and a desire to represent to the 
sovereigns the disastrous state of the colony, and the 
tyranny and oppression of Columbus and his brothers. 
Thus the first general and apostle of the new world set 
the flagrant example of unauthorized abandonment of 
their posts. 

The departure of Margarite left the army without a 
head; the soldiers now roved about in bands, or singly, 
according to their caprice, indulging in all kinds of ex- 
cesses. The natives, indignant at having their hospitali- 
ty thus requited, refused any longer to furnish them with 
food; the Sj^aniards, therefore, seized upon provisions 
ivherever they could be found, committing, at the same 



142 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

time, many acts of wanton violence. At length the In- 
dians were roused to resentment, and from confiding and 
hospitable hosts, were converted into vindictive enemies. 
They slew the Spaniards wherever they could surprise 
them singly or in small parties; and Guatiguana, cacique 
of a large town on the Grand River, put to death ten 
soldiers who were quartered in his town, set fire to a 
house in which forty sick Spaniards were lodged, and 
even held a small fortress called Magdalena, recently 
built in the vega, in a state of siege, insomuch, that the 
commander had to shut himself up within his walls, until 
relief should arrive from the settlement. 

The most formidable enemy of the Spaniards was 
Caonabo, the Carib cacique of the mountains. He had 
natural talents for war, great sagacity, a proud and dar- 
ing spirit to urge him on, three vaUant brothers to assist 
him, and a numerous tribe at his command. He had 
been enraged at seeing the fortress of St. Thomas erect- 
ed in the very centre of his dominions; and finding by 
his spies that the garrison was reduced to but fifty men, 
and the army of Margarite dismembered, he thought the 
time had arrived to strike a signal blow, and to repeat 
the horrors which he had wreaked upon La Navidad. 

The wily cacique, however, had a different kind of 
enemy to deal with in the commander of St. Thomas. 
Alonzo de Ojeda deserves particular notice as a specimen 
of the singular characters which arose among the Spanish 
discoverers. He had been schooled in Moorish warfare, 
and of course versed in all kinds of military stratagems. 
Naturally of a rash and fiery spirit, his courage was 
heightened by superstition. Having never received a 
wound in his numerous quarrels and encounters, he con- 
sidered himself under the special protection of the holy 
Virgin, and that no weapon had power to harm him. He 
had a small Flemish painting of the Virgin, which he 
carried constantly with him; in his marches he bore it 
in his knapsack, and would often take it out, fix it against 
a tree, and address his prayers to his military patroness. 
Tn a word, he swore by the Virgin; he invoked the Vir- 
gin either in brawl or battle; and under favor of the 



OF COLUMBUS. 143 

Virgin he was ready for any enterprise or adventure. 
Such was Alonzo de Ojeda, bigoted in devotion, reck- 
less in hfe, fearless in spirit, like many of the roving 
Spanish cavaliers of those days. 

Having reconnoitered the fortress of St. Thomas, 
Caonabo assembled ten thousand warriors, armed with 
war clubs, bows and arrows, and lances, hardened in the 
fire, and led them secretly through the forests, thinking 
to surprise Ojeda, but found him warily drawn up within 
his fortress, which was built upon a hill, and nearly sur- 
rounded by a river. Caonabo then held the fortress in 
siege for thirty days, and reduced it to great distress. 
He lost many of his bravest warriors, however, by the 
impetuous sallies of Ojeda; others grew weary of the siege 
and returned home. He at length relinquished the at- 
tempt, and retired, filled with admiration of the prowess 
of Ojeda. 

The restless chieftain now endeavored to form a 
league of the principal caciques of the island to unite 
their forces, surprise the settlement of Isabella, and 
massacre the Spaniards wherever they could be found. 
To explain this combination, it is necessary to state the 
internal distribution of the island. It was divided into 
five domains, each governed by a sovereign cacique of 
absolute and hereditary powers, having many inferior 
caciques tributary to him. The most important domain 
comprised the middle part of the royal vega, and was 
governed by Guarionex. The second was Marion, un- 
der the sway of Guacanagari, on whose coast Columbus 
had been wrecked. The third was Maguana, which in- 
cluded the gold mines of Cibao, and was under the sway 
of Caonabo. The fourth was Xaragua, at the western 
end of the island, the most populous and extensive of 
all. The sovereign was named Behechio. The fifth 
domain was Higuey, and occupied the whole eastern 
part of the island, but had not as yet been visited by the 
Spaniards. The name of the cacique was Cotabanama. 

Three of these sovereign caciques readily entered into 
the league with Caonabo, for the profligate conduct of 
the Spaniards had inspired hostility even in remote parts 



144 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

of the island, which had never been visited by them. 
The league, however, met with unexpected opposition 
from the fifth cacique, Guacanagari. He not merely re- 
fused to join the conspiracy, but entertained a hundred 
Spaniards in his territory, supplying all their wants with 
his accustomed generosity. This drew upon him the 
odium and hostility of his fellow cacicpies, who inflicted 
on him various injuries and indignities. Behechio killed 
one of his wives, and Caonabo carried another away 
captive. Nothing, however, could shake the devotion 
of Guacanagari to the Spaniards; and as his dominions 
lay immediately adjacent to the settlement, his refusal to 
join in the conspiracy prevented it from being immedi- 
ately carried into effect. 

Such was the critical state to which the affairs of the 
island had been reduced, and such the bitter hostility en- 
gendered among its kind and gentle inhabitants, during 
the absence of Columbus. Immediately on his return, 
and while he was yet confined to his bed, Guacanagari 
visited him, and revealed- to him all the designs of the 
confederate caciques, offering to lead his subjects to the 
field, and to fight by the side of the Spaniards. Colum- 
bus had always retained a deep sense of the ancient 
kindness of Guacanagari, and was rejoiced to have all 
suspicion of his good faith thus effectually dispelled. 
Their former amicable intercourse was renewed, and the 
chieftain ever continued to evince an affectionate rever 
ence for the admiral. 

Columbus considered ihe confederacy of the caciques 
as but imperfectly formed, and trusted that, from theii 
want of skill and experience in warfare, their plans 
might easily be disconcerted. He was too ill to take the 
field in person, his brother Diego was not of a military 
character, and Bartholomew was yet a stranger among 
the Spaniards, and regarded with jealousy. He deter- 
mined, therefore, to proceed against the Indians in detail, 
attacking some, conciliating others, and securing certain 
of the most formidable by stratagem. 

A small force was accordingly sent to relieve Fort 
Magdalena, which was beleaguered by (niatiguana, the 



OF COLUMBUS. 145 

cacique of the Grand River, who had massacred the 
Spaniards quartered in his town. He was driven from 
before the fortress, his country laid waste, and many of 
his warriors slain, but the chieftain made his escape. 
As he was tributary to Guarionex, the sovereign of the 
royal vega, care was taken to explain to that powerful 
cacique, that this was an act of mere individual punish 
ment, not of general hostility. Guarionex was of a 
quiet and placable disposition; he was easily soothed 
and won to friendship; and, to link him in some degree 
to the Spanish interest, Columbus prevailed upon him to 
give his daughter in marriage to the converted Lucayan, 
who had been baptized in Spain by the name of Diego 
Colon, and who was devoted to the admiral. He gained 
permission from him also to erect a fortress in the midst 
of his territories, which he named Fort Conception. 

The most formidable enemy remained to be disposed 
of, which was Caonabo; to make war upon this fierce 
and subtle chieftain in the depths of his wild woodland 
territory, and among the fastnesses of his mountains, 
would have been a work of time, peril, and uncertain 
issue. In the mean while, the settlements would never 
be safe from his secret combinations and daring enter- 
prises, nor could the mines be worked with security, as 
they lay in his neighborhood. While perplexed on this 
subject, Columbus was relieved by a proposition of Alon- 
zo de Ojeda, who undertook to bring the Carib chieftain 
either a friend or captive to the settlement. 

Choosing ten bold and hardy followers, well armed 
and well mounted, and invoking the protection of his 
patroness the Virgin, Ojeda plunged into the forest, and 
making his way above sixty leagues into the wild territo- 
ries of Caonabo, appeared fearlessly before the cacique 
in one of his most populous towns, professing to come on 
an amicable embassy from the admiral. He was well 
received by Caonabo, who had tried him in battle, and 
had conceived a warrior's admiration of him. The free, 
dauntless deportment, great personal strength and agility, 
and surprising adroitness of Ojeda in all manly and war- 
lik'^ exercises, were calculated to charm a savage, and 
13 I. 



146 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

soon made him a favorite with Caoiiabo. He used all 
his influence to prevail upon the cacique to repair to Isa- 
bella, and enter into a treaty with Columbus, offering 
him, it is said, as an inducement, the bell of the chapel 
at the harbor. This bell was the wonder of the island. 
When its melody sounded through the forests, as it rung 
for mass, the Indians had noticed that the Spaniards hast- 
ened from all parts to the chapel. At other times, when 
it gave the vesper-peal, they beheld the Spaniards pause 
in the midst of their labors or amusements, and, taking 
off their hats, repeat a prayer with great devotion. They 
imagined, therefore, that this bell had some mysterious 
power; that it had come from "Turey," or the skies, 
and was the zemi of the white men; that it talked to 
them, and they obeyed its orders. Caonabo had longed 
to see this bell, and when it was proffered to him as a 
present of peace, he found it impossible to resist the 
temptation. 

He agreed to visit the admiral at the harbor; but when 
the time came to depart, Ojeda beheld with surprise a 
powerful army ready to march. He remonstrated on 
taking such a force on a mere friendly visit, to which the 
cacique proudly replied, "that it was not befitting a great 
prince like him to go forth scantily guarded." Ojeda 
feared some sinister design, and, to outwit the cacique, 
had resort to a stratagem which has the air of a romantic 
fable, but is recorded by all the contemporary historians, 
and accords with the adventurous and extravagant char- 
acter of the man, and the wild stratagems incident to In- 
dian warfare. 

As the army had halted one day near the river Yegua, 
Ojeda produced a set of manacles of polished steel, so 
highly burnished that they looked like silver. These he 
assured Caonabo were ornaments worn by the Castihan 
monarchs on high festivities, and were sent as a present 
to him. He proposed that Caonabo should bathe in the 
river, after which he should be decorated with these orna- 
ments, mounted on the horse of Ojeda, and conducted 
bark in the state of a Spanisli monarch to astonish his 
subjects. The cacique was dazzled with the splendor of 



OF COLUMBUS. 147 

the shackles, and pleased with the idea of bestriding one 
of those tremendous animals so dreaded by his country- 
men. He bathed in the river, mounted behind Ojeda, 
and the shackles were adjusted. The Spaniards then 
pranced among the astonished savages, and made a wide 
sweep into the forest, until the trees concealed them from 
sight. They then drew their swords, closed round Ca- 
onabo, and threatened him with instant death, if he made 
the least noise or resistance. They bound him with 
cords to Ojeda, to prevent his falling or effecting an es- 
cape; then putting spurs to their horses, they dashed 
across the Yegua, made off through the woods with their 
prize, and, after a long, rugged, and perilous journey, 
entered Isabella in triumph; Ojeda bringing the wild In- 
dian chieftain bound behind him a captive. 

Columbus could not refrain from expressing his great 
satisfaction when this dangerous foe was delivered into 
his hands. The haughty Carib met him with a lofty 
and unsubdued air, disdaining to conciliate him by sub 
mission, or to deprecate his vengeance for his massacre 
of the garrison of La Navidad. He even boasted that he 
had secretly reconnoitered Isabella, with the design of 
wreaking on it the same destruction. He never evinced 
the least animosity against Ojeda for the artifice by which 
he had been captured. He looked upon it as the exploit 
of a master spirit, to pounce upon him, and bear him off 
in this hawk-like manner, from the very midst of his 
fighting men, for there is nothing that an Indian more ad- 
mires in warfare than a deep-laid and well-executed strata- 
gem. Whenever Columbus entered the prison of Caona- 
bo, all present rose according to custom, and paid him 
reverence. The cacique alone remained sitting. On 
the contrary, when Ojeda entered, though small in per- 
son, and without external state, Caonabo immediately 
rose and saluted him with profound respect. On being 
asked the reason of this, the proud Carib replied that the 
admiral had never dared to come personally to his domin- 
ions and capture him; it was only through the valor of 
Ojeda he was his prisoner; to the latter alone, therefore, 
he should pay reverence. 



148 THE LIFE AND VOrAGES 

Columbus, though struck with the natural heroism oi 
this savage, considered him too dangerous an enemy to 
be left at large. He maintained him, therefore, a close 
prisoner in a part of his own dwelling, until he could be 
shipped to Spain, but treated him with great kindness 
and respect. One of the brothers of the cacique assem- 
bled an army in hopes of surprising the fortress of St. 
Thomas, and capturing a number of Spaniards, for whom 
he might obtain Caonabo in exchange; but Ojeda re- 
ceived intelligence of his design, and coming upon him 
suddenly, attacked him with his little troop of horse, 
routed his army, killed many of his warriors, and took 
him prisoner. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

Battle of the Vega. — -Imposition of Tribute. [1494. | 

The arrival of four ships about this time, commanded 
by Antonio Torres, bringing out a physician and apothe- 
cary, various mechanics, millers, and husbandmen, and an 
ample supply of provisions, diffused universal joy among 
the suffering Spaniards. Columbus received a highly 
flattering letter from his sovereigns, approving of all that 
he had done, informing him that all differences with 
Portugal had been amicably adjusted, and inviting him to 
return to Spain, or to send some able person in his place, 
furnished with maps and charts, to be present at a con- 
vention for adjusting the dividing line of discovery be- 
tween the two powers. Columbus hastened the return 
of the ships, sending his brother Diego to attend the 
convention, and to counteract the misrepresentations 
which he was aware had been sent home of his conduct, and 
which would be enforced by Margarite and Friar Boyle. 
He remitted, by the ships, all the gold he could collect, 
with specimens of fruits and valuable plarUs, and five 



OP COLUMBUS. 149 

hundred Indian captives, to be sold as slaves in Seville. 
It is painful to find the glory of Columbus sullied Ly such 
violations of the laws of humanity, but the customs of 
the times must plead his apology. In the recent discov- 
eries along the coast of Africa, the traffic in slaves had 
formed one of the greatest sources of profit; and in the 
wars with the enlightened and highly civilized Moors of 
Granada, the Spaniards were accustomed to make slaves 
of their prisoners. Columbus was goaded on, likewise, 
by the misrepresentations of his enemies, to try every 
means of indemnifying the sovereigns for the expenses of 
his enterprises, and to produce them a revenue from the 
countries he had discovered. 

The admiral had now recovered his health, and the 
colonists were, in some degree, refreshed and invigora- 
ted by the supplies brought by the ships, when Guacana- 
gari brought intelligence that the allied caciques, headed 
by Manicaotex, brother and successor to Caonabo, had 
assembled all their forces in the vega, within two days' 
march of Isabella, with an intention of making a grand 
assault upon the settlement. Columbus immediately de- 
termined to carry the war into the territories of the ene- 
my, rather than wait for it to be brought to his door. 

The whole sound and eflective force he could muster, 
m the present sickly state of the colony, did not exceed 
two hundred infantry, and twenty horse. There were 
twenty blood-hounds also, animals scarcely less terrible 
to the Indians than the horses, and infinitely more destruc- 
tive. Guacanagari, also, brought his people into the 
field, but both he and his subjects were of an unwarlike 
character; the chief advantage of his cooperation was, 
that it completely severed him from his fellow caciques, 
and secured him as an ally. 

It was on the 27th of March, 1495, that Columbus 
issued forth from Isabella with his little army, accom- 
panied by his brother, the adelantado, and advancing by 
rapid marches, arrived in the neighborhood of the enemy, 
who were assembled in the vega, near to where the town 
of Santiago has since been built. The Indians were 
confident in their number, which is said to have amounted 
13* 



150 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

to one hundred thousand; this is evidently an exaggera- 
tion, but the number was undoubtedly very great. The 
adelantado arranged the mode of attack. The infantry, 
divided into small detachments, advanced suddenly from 
various quarters, with great din of drums and trumpets, 
and a destructive discharge of firearms. The Indians 
were struck with panic. An army seemed pressing upon 
them from every quarter. Many were slain by the balls 
of the arquebuses, which seemed to burst with thunder 
and lightning from the forests. In the height of their 
confusion, Alonzo de Ojeda charged impetuously on their 
main body with his cavalry, bearing down and trampling 
them under foot, and dealing deadly blows with lance and 
sword. The blood-hounds were, at the same time, let 
loose, and rushed upon the naked savages, seizing them 
by the throat, dragging them to the earth, and tearing 
out their bowels. The battle, if such it might be called, 
was of short duration. The Indians, overwhelmed, fled 
in every direction, with yells and bowlings. Some clam- 
bered to the tops of rocks and precipices, from whence 
they made piteous supplications and promises of submis- 
sion. Many were slain, many made prisoners, and the 
confederacy was, for the time, completely broken up. 

Guacanagari had accompanied the Spaniards into the 
field, but he was little more than a spectator of the bat- 
tle. His participation in the hostilities of the white men, 
however, was never forgiven by the other caciques; and 
he returned to his dominions, followed by the hatred and 
execrations of his countrymen. 

Columbus followed up his victory by making a military 
tour through various parts of the island, which were soon 
reduced to subjection. He then exercised what he con- 
sidered the right of a conqueror, and imposed tributes on 
the vanquished provinces. In those which possessed 
mines, each individual, above the age of fourteen years, 
was obliged to render, every three months, the measure 
of a Flemish hawk's bell of gold dust.* The caciques 
had to pay a mud, larger amount for their personal trib- 

* Equal in value to fifleen dollars of the present time. 



OF COLUMBUS. 151 

ute. Manicaotex, the brother of Caonabo, rendered hi, 
every three months, half a calabash of gold. In those 
provinces which produced no gold, each individual was 
obliged to furnish twenty-five pounds of cotton every three 
months. A copper medal, suspended about the neck, 
was a proof that an Indian had paid his tribute; any one 
found without such a certificate was liable to arrest and 
punishment. Various fortresses were erected in the 
most important places, so as to keep the Indians in com- 
plete subjection. 

In this way the yoke of servitude was fixed upon the 
island, and its thraldom completely insured. Deep 
despair now fell upon the natives, for they found a per- 
petual task inflicted upon them, enforced at stated and 
frequently recurring periods. Weak and indolent by 
nature, and brought up in the untasked idleness of their 
soft climate, and their fruitful groves, death itself seemed 
preferable to a life of toil and anxiety. They saw no 
end to this harassing evil, which had so suddenly fallen 
upon them; no prospect of return to that roving indepen- 
dence and ample leisure, so dear to the wild inhabitant 
of the forest. The pleasant life of the island was at an 
end; — the dream in the shade by day; the slumber, dur- 
ing the sultry noontide heat, by the fountain or the 
stream, or under the spreading palm tree; and the song, 
the dance, and the game in the mellow evening, when 
summoned to their simple amusements by the rude Indian 
drum. Or, if they occasionally indulged in a national 
dance after a day of painful toil, the ballads to which they 
kept time were of a melancholy and plaintive character. 
They spoke of the times that were past, before the white 
men had introduced sorrow, and slavery, and weary 
labor among them; and they rehearsed prophecies .pre- 
tended to be handed down from their ancestors, fore- 
telling that strangers should come into their island, clothed 
m apparel, with swords capable of cleaving a man asunder 
at a blow, under whose yoke their race should be sub- 
dued and pass away. These ballads, or areytos, they 
sang with mournful tunes and doleful voices, bewailing 
the loss of their liberty and their painful servitude. 



152 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

They had flattered themselves, for a time, that the 
visit of the strangers would be but temporary, and that, 
spreading their ample sails, their ships would soon waft 
them back to their home in the sky. In their simplicity 
they had repeatedly inquired of the Spaniards v^hen they 
intended to return to Turey, or the heavens. All such 
hope was now at an end; and, finding how vain was 
every attempt to deliver themselves from their invaders 
by warlike means, they now resorted to a forlorn and 
desperate alternative. Knowing that the Spaniards de- 
pended, in a great measure, for subsistence on the sup- 
plies which they furnished them, they endeavored to 
produce a famine. For this purpose, they destroyed 
their fields of maize, stripped the trees of their fruit, 
pulled up the yuca and other roots, and then fled to the 
mountains. 

The Spaniards were indeed reduced to much distress, 
but were partially relieved by supplies from Spain. 
They pursued the natives to their mountain retreats, 
hunting them from one dreary fastness to another, luiiil 
thousands perished in dens and caverns of famine and 
sickness, and the survivors, yielding themselves up in 
despair, submitted humbly to the yoke. So deep an awe 
did they conceive of their conquerors, that it is said a 
Spaniard might go singly and securely all over the island, 
and the natives would even transport him from place to 
place on their shoulders. 

Before passing on to other events, it may be proper 
here to notice the fate of Guacanagari, as he makes no 
further appearance in the course of this history. His 
friendship for the Spaniards severed him from his coun- 
trymen, but it did not exonerate him from the general 
woes of the island. At a time when Columbus was 
absent, the Spaniards exacted a tribute from him, which 
his people, with the common repugnance to labor, found 
it difficult and distressing to pay. Unable to bear the 
murmurs of his subjects, the liostilities of his fellow 
caciques, the extortions of his ungrateful allies, and the 
sight of the various miseries which he felt as if he had 



OF COLUMBUS. 153 

invoked upon his race, he retired to the mountains, where 
it is said he died obscurely and in misery. 

An attempt has been made by a Spanish historian to 
defame the character of this Indian prince; but it is not 
for Spaniards to excuse their own ingratitude by casting 
a stigma upon his name. He appears to have always 
manifested towards them that true friendship which shines 
brightest in the dark days of adversity. He might have 
played a nobler part, in making a stand, with his brother 
caciques, to drive those intruders from his native soil; 
but he appears to have been blinded by his admiration 
of them, and his personal attachment to Columbus. 
He was bountiful, hospitable, affectionate, and kind- 
hearted; competent to rule a gentle and unwarlike people 
in the happier days of the island, but unfitted, through 
the mildness of his nature, for the stern turmoil which 
'bllowed the arrival of the white men. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

Arrival of the Commissioner Aguado. — Discovery of the 
Gold Mines of Hayna. [1495.] 

While Columbus was endeavoring to remedy the 
evils produced by the misconduct of Margarite and his 
followers, that recreant commander, and his politic coad- 
jutor Friar Boyle, were busily undermining his reputa- 
tion in the court of Spain. They accused him of deceiving 
the sovereigns and the public by extravagant descriptions 
of the countries he had discovered; and of tyranny and 
oppression towards the colonists, compelling excessive 
labor during a time of sickness and debility; inflicting 
severe punishments for the most trifling offence, and 
heaping indignities on Spanish gentlemen of rank. Thej 
said nothing however, of the exigencies which had called 
for unusual labor; nor of the idleness and profligacy of 



154 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

the commonalty, which called for coercion and chas- 
tisement; nor of the contumacy and cabals of the cava- 
liers, who had been treated with indulgence rather than 
severity. These representations, being supported by 
many factious and discontented idlers who had returned 
from the colony, and enforced by people of rank con- 
nected with the cavaliers, had a baneful effect upon the 
popularity of Columbus, and his favor with the sover- 
eigns. 

About this time a measure was adopted, which shows 
the declining influence of the admiral. A proclamation 
was made on the 10th of April, giving general permis- 
sion to native-born subjects to settle in the island of 
Hispaniola, and to go on private voyages of discovery 
and traffic to the new world. They were to pay certain 
proportions of their profits to the crown, and to be sub- 
ject to certain regulations. The privilege of an eighth 
part of the tonnage was likewise secured to Columbus, as 
admiral; but he felt himself exceedingly aggrieved at this 
permission being granted without his knowledge or con- 
sent, considering it an infringement of his rights, and a 
measure likely to disturb the course of regular discovery 
by the licentious and predatory enterprises of reckless 
adventurers. 

The arrival of the ships commanded by Torres, bring- 
ing accounts of the voyage along the southern coasts of 
Cuba, supposed to be the continent of Asia, and speci- 
mens of the gold, and the vegetable and animal produc- 
tions of the country, counterbalanced in some degree 
these unfavorable representations ofMargarite and Boyle. 
Still it was determined to send out a commissioner to 
inquire into the alleged distress of the colony, and the 
conduct of Columbus, and one Juan Aguado was ap- 
pointed for the purpose. He had already been to 
Hispaniola, and on returning had been strongly recom- 
mended to royal favor by Columbus. In appointing a 
person, therefore, for whom the admiral appeared to 
have a regard, and who was under obligations to him, the 
sovereigns thought, perhaps, to soften the harshness of 
the measure. 



OF COLUMBUS. 15b 

As to the five hundred slaves sent home in the ships 
of Torres, Isabella ordered a consultation of pious theo- 
logians to determine whether, having been taken in war- 
fare, their sale as slaves would be justifiable in the sight 
of God. Much difference of opinion arose among the 
divines on this important question; whereupon the queen 
decided it according to the dictates of her conscience 
and her heart, and ordered that the Indians should be 
taken back to their native country. 

Juan de Aguado set sail from Spain towards the end 
of August with four caravels freighted with supplies, and 
Don Diego Columbus returned in this squadron to His- 
paniola. Aguado was one of those weak men whose 
heads are turned by the least elevation. Though under 
obligations to Columbus, he forgot them all, and forgot 
even the nature and extent of his own commission. 
Finding Columbus absent in the interior of the island, 
on his arrival, he acted as if the reins of government 
had been transferred into his hands. He paid no respect 
to Don Bartholemew, who had been placed in command 
by his brother during his absence, but proclaiming his 
letter of credence by sound of trumpet, he proceeded to 
arrest various public officers, to call others to rigorous 
account, and to invite every one, who had wrongs or 
grievances to complain of, to come forward boldly and 
make them known. He already regarded Columbus as 
a criminal, and intimated, and perhaps thought, that he 
was keeping at a distance through fear of his investiga- 
tions. He even talked of setting off at the head of a 
body of horse to arrest him. The whole community 
was in confusion; the downfall of the family of Columbus 
was considered as arrived, and some thought the admiral 
would lose his head. 

The news of the arrival and of the insolent conduct of 
Aguado reached Columbus in the interior of the island, 
and he immediately hastened to Isabella to give him a 
meeting. As every one knew the lofty spirit of Colum- 
bus, his high sense of his services, and his jealous mainte- 
nance of his official dignity, a violent explosion was an- 
ticipated at the impending int-erview. The natural heat 



156 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

and impetuosity of Columbus, however, had been sub- 
dued by a life of trials, and he had learnt to bring his 
passions into subjection to his judgement; he had too true 
an estimate of his own dignity to enter into a contest 
with a shallow boaster like Aguado: above all, he had a 
profound reverence for the authority of his sovereigns; 
for, in his enthusiastic spirit, prone to deep feelings of 
reverence, loyalty was inferior only lo religion. He re- 
ceived Aguado, therefore, with the most grave and punc 
tilious courtesy, ordered his letter of credence to be 
again proclaimed by sound of trumpet, and assured him 
of his readiness to acquiesce in whatever might be the 
pleasure of his sovereigns. 

The moderation of Columbus was regarded by many, 
and by Aguado himself, as a proof of his loss of moral 
courage. Every dastard spirit who had any lurking ill 
will, any real or imaginary cause of complaint, now hast- 
ened to give it utterance. It was a time of jubilee for 
offenders: every culprit started up into an accuser: every 
one who by negligence or crime had incurred the whole- 
some penalties of the laws was loud in his clamors of 
oppression; and all the ills of the colony, however pro- 
duced, were ascribed to the mal-administration of the 
admiral. 

Aguado listened to every accusation with ready cre- 
dulity, and having collected information sufficient, as he 
thought, to insure the ruin of the admiral and his brothers, 
prepared to return to Spain. Columbus rp-solved to do 
the same; for he felt that it was time to appear at court, 
to vindicate his conduct from the misrepresentations of 
his enemies, and to explain the causes of the distresses 
of the colony, and of the disappointments with respect 
to revenue, which he feared might discourage the prose- 
cution of his discoveries. 

When the ships were ready to depart, a terrible storm 
swept the island; it was one of those awful whirlwinds 
which occasionally rage within the trfipics, and which 
were called ' Uricans' by the Indians, a name which 
they still retain. Three of the ships at anchor in the 
harbor were sunk bv it, with all who were on board; 



OP COLUMBUS. 157 

others were dashed ?gainst each other, and driven mere 
wrecks upon the shore. The Indians were overwhelmed 
v/ith astonishment and dismay, for never in their memory, 
or in the traditions of their ancestors, had they known so 
tremendous a storm. They beheved that the Deity had 
sent it in punishment of the cruehies and crimes of the 
white men, and declared that this people moved the very 
air, the water, and the earth to disturb their tranquil life, 
and to desolate their island. 

The departure of Columbus, and of Aguado, was de- 
layed until one of the shattered vessels, the Nina, could 
be repaired, and another constructed out of the fragments 
of the wrecks. In the mean time, information was re- 
ceived of rich mines in the interior of the island. A 
young Arragonian, named Miguel Diaz, in the service 
of the adelantado, having wounded a companion in a 
quarrel, fled from the settlement, accompanied by five 
or six comrades, who had either been engaged in the 
affray, or were personally attached to him. Wandering 
about the island, they at length came to an Indian village, 
on the banks of the Ozema, where the city of San Do- 
mingo is at present situated; they were received with 
kindness by the natives, and resided for some time among 
them. The village was governed by a female cacique, 
who soon conceived a strong affection for the young Ar- 
ragonian. A connexion was formed between them, and 
•they lived for some time very happily together. Af 
length the remembrance of his country and his friends 
began to haunt the mind of the Spaniard; he longed to 
return to the settlement, but dreaded the austere justice 
of the adelantado. His Indian bride, observing him fre- 
quently lost in gloomy thought, drew from him the cause 
of his melancholy. Fearful that he would abandon her, 
and knowing the influence of gold over the white men, 
she informed him of certain rich mines in the neighbor- 
hood, and urged him to persuade his countrymen to aban- 
don Isabella, and remove to that part of the island, to 
the fertile banks of the Ozema, promising that they should 
be hospitably received by her nation. 

Diaz was rejoiced at this intelligence, and hastened 
14 r. 



158 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

with it to the settlement, flattering himself that it would 
make his peace with the acjelantado. He was not mis- 
taken. No tidings could have come more opportunely, 
for, if true, they would furnish the admiral with the most 
effectual means of silencing the cavils of his enemies. 

The adelantado immediately set out in company with 
Diaz and his Indian guides. He was conducted to the 
banks of a river called the Hayna, where he found gold 
in greater quantities and larger particles than even in the 
rich province of Cibao, and observed several excavations, 
where it appeared as if mmes had been worked in ancient 
times. Columbus was overjoyed at the sight of these 
specimens, brought back by the adelantado, and was 
surprised to hear of the excavations, as the Indians pos- 
sessed no knowledge of mining, and merely picked tip 
the gold from the surface of the soil, or the beds of the 
rivers. The circumstance gave rise to one of his usual 
veins of visionary speculation. He had already surmised 
that Hispaniola might be the ancient Ophir; he now fan- 
cied he had discovered the identical mines from whence 
King Solomon had procured his great supplies of gold 
for the building of the temple of Jerusalem. He gave 
orders that a fortress should be immediately erected in 
the vicinity of the mines, and that they should be dili- 
gently worked; and he now looked forward with confi- 
dence to his return to Spain, the bearer of such golden 
tidings. 

It may not be uninteresting to mention that Miguel 
Diaz remained faithful to his Indian bride, who was bap- 
tized by the name of Catalina. They were regularly 
married and had two children. 



OF COLUMBUS. 159 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Retw n of Columbus to Spain. — Preparations for a third 
Voyage. [1496.] 

The new caravel, the Santa Cruz, being finished, and 
the Nina repaired, Columbus gave the command of the 
island during his absence to his brother, Don Bartholo- 
mew, with the title of adelantado. He then embarked 
on board of one of the caravels, and Aguado in the oth- 
er. The vessels were crowded with two hundred and 
twenty-five passengers, the sick, the idle, the profligate 
and factious of the colony. Never did a more misera- 
ble and disappointed crew return from a land of promise. 

There were thirty Indians also on board, and among 
them the once redoubtable Caonabo, together with one 
of his brothers, and a nephew. The admiral had prom- 
ised to restore them to their country and their power, 
after having presented them to the sovereigns ; trusting 
by kind treatment, and a display of the wonders of 
Spain, to conquer their hostility, and convert them into 
>mportant instruments for the quiet subjugation of the 
sland. 

Being as yet but little experienced in the navigation 
of these seas, Columbus, instead of working up to the 
northward, so as to fall in with the tract of westerly 
winds, took an easterly course on leaving the island. 
His voyage, in consequence, became a toilsome and te- 
dious struggle against the trade winds and calms which 
prevail between the tropics. Though he sailed on the 
10th of March, yet on the 6th of April he was still in 
the vicinity of the Caribbee Islands, and had to touch at 
Guadaloupe to procure provisions. Here skirmishes 
occurred with the fierce natives, both male and female; 
for the women were perfect amazons, of large and pow- 
erful frame and great agility. Several of the latter were 



160 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

taken prisoners; they were naked, and wore their hair 
loose and flowing upon their shoulders, though some 
decorated their heads with tufts of feathers. Their 
weapons were bows and arrows. Among them was the 
wife of a cacique, a woman of a proud and resolute spir- 
it. On the approach of the Spaniards she had fled with 
an agility that soon distanced all pursuers, excepting a 
native of the Canary Islands, noted for swiftness of foot. 
She would have escaped even from him, but perceiving 
that he was alone, and far from his companions, she 
suddenly turned upon him, seized him by the throat, and_ 
would have strangled him, had not the Spaniards arrived 
and taken her, entangled like a hawk with her prey. 

When Columbus departed from the island, he dismiss- 
ed all the prisoners with presents. The female cacique 
alone refused to go on shore. She had conceived a 
passion for Caonabo, having found out that he was a 
Carib, and she had been won by the story, gathered 
from the other Indians, of his great valor and his misfor- 
tunes. In the course of the voyage, however, the unfor- 
tunate Caonabo expired. He maintained his haughty 
nature to the last, for his death is principally ascribed to 
the morbid melancholy of a proud but broken spirit. 
His fate furnishes, on a narrow scale, a picture of the fal- 
lacy of human greatness. When the Spaniai'ds first 
arrived on the coast of Hayti, their imaginations were 
inflamed with rumors of a magnificent prince among the 
mountains, the lord of the golden house, the sovereign 
of the mines of Cibao; but a short time had elapsed, and 
he was a naked and moody prisoner on the deck of one 
of their caravels, with none but one of his own wild na- 
tive heroines to sympathize in his misfortunes. All his 
importance vanished with his freedom; scarce any men- 
tion is made of him during his captivity; and with innate 
qualities of a high and heroic nature, he perished with 
the obscurity of one of the vulgar. 

Columbus left Guadaloupe on the 20th of April, still 
working his way against the whole current of the trade 
winds. By the 20th of May but a portion of the voyage 
was performed, yet the provisions were so much exhaust 



OP COLUMBUS. 161 

ed that every one was put on an allowance of six ounces 
of bread, and a pint and a half of water. By the begin- 
ning of June there was an absolute famine on board of 
the ships, and some proposed that they should kill and 
eat their Indian prisoners, or throw them into the sea as 
so many useless mouths. Nothing but the absolute 
authority of Columbus prevented this last counsel from 
being adopted. He represented that the Indians were 
their fellow-beings, some of them Christians like them- 
selves, and all entitled to similar treatment. He exhort- 
ed them to a little patience, assuring them they would 
soon make land, as, according to his reckoning, they 
could not be far from Cape St. Vincent. They scoffed 
at his words, for they believed themselves as yet far from 
their desired haven. The next morning, however, proved 
the correctness of his calculations, for they made the 
very land he had predicted. 

On the 1 1 th of June the vessels anchored in the bay 
of Cadiz. The populace crowded to witness the landing 
of the gay and bold adventurers, who had sailed from this 
very port animated by the most sanguine expectations. 
Instead, however, of a joyous crew, bounding on shore, 
flushed with success, and rich with the spoils of the 
golden Indies, a feeble train of wretched men crawled 
forth, emaciated by the diseases of the colony and the 
hardships of the voyage; who carried in their yellow 
countenances, says an old writer, a mockery of that gold 
which had been the object of their search; and who had 
nothing to relate of the new world but tales of sickness, 
poverty, and disappointment. 

The appearance of Columbus himself was a kind of 
comment on his fortunes. Either considering himself 
in disgrace with the sovereigns, or having made some 
penitential vow, he was clad in the habit of a Franciscan 
monk, girded with a cord, and he had suffered his beard 
to grow like the friars of that order. But however hum- 
ble he might be in his own personal appearance, he 
endeavored to keep alive the public interest in his dis- 
coveries. On his way to Burgos to meet the sovereigns, 
he made a studious display of the coronets, collars, 
14* 



162 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

bracelets and other ornaments of gold, which he had 
brought from the new world. He carried with him, 
also, several Indians, decorated with glittering orna- 
ments, and among them the brother of Caonabo, on 
whom he put a massive collar and chain of gold, weigh- 
ing six hundred castillanos,* as being cacique of the 
golden country of Cibao. 

The reception of Columbus by the sovereigns was 
different from what he had anticipated, for he was treated 
with distinguished favor ; nor was any mention made 
either of the complaints of Margarite and Boyle, or the 
judicial inquiries conducted by Aguado. However these 
may have had a transient effect upon the minds of the 
sovereigns, they were too conscious of his great deserts, 
and of the extraordinary difficulties of his situation, not 
to tolerate what they may have considered errors on his 
part. 

Encouraged by the interest with which the sovereigns 
listened to his account of his recent voyage along the 
coast of Cuba, bordering, as he supposed, on the rich 
territories of the Grand Khan, and of his discovery of 
the mines of Hayna, which he failed not to represent as 
the Ophir of the ancients, Columbus now proposed a 
further enterprise, by which he promised to make yet 
more extensive discoveries, and to annex a vast and 
unappropriated portion of the continent of Asia to their 
dominions. AH he asked was eight ships, two to be 
despatched to Hispaniola with supplies, the remaining 
six to be put under his command for the voyage. 

The sovereigns readily promised to comply with his 
request, and were probably sincere in their intentions to 
do so; but in the performance of their promise Colum- 
bus was doomed to meet with intolerable delay. The 
resources of Spain at this moment were tasked to the 
utmost by the ambition of Ferdinand, who lavished all 
his revenues in warlike enterprises. While maintaining 
a contest of deep and artful policy with France, with the 
ultimate aim of grasping the sceptre of Naples, he was 

♦Equivalent to 3195 dollars of the present time- 



OF COLUMBUS. 163 

laying the foundation of a wide and powerful connexion, 
by the marriages of the royal children, who were now 
maturing in years. At this time rose that family alliance 
which afterwards consolidated such an immense empire 
under his grandson and successor, Charles the Fifth. 

These widely extended operations both of war and 
amity put all the land and naval forces into requisition, 
drained the royal treasury, and engrossed the time and 
thoughts of the sovereigns. It was not until the spring 
of 1497, that Isabella could find leisure to enter fully 
into the concerns of the new world. She then took 
them up with a spirit that showed she was determined to 
place them upon a substantial foundation, as well as 
clearly to define the powers and reward the services of 
Columbus. To her protecting zeal all the provisions in 
favor of the latter must be attributed, for the king began 
to look coldly on him, and Fonseca, who had most influ- 
ence in the affairs of the Indies, was his implacable ene- 
my. As the expenses of the expeditions had hitherto 
exceeded the returns, Columbus was relieved of his eighth 
part of the cost of the past entcipiises and allowed an 
eighth part of the gross proceeds for ;he next three years, 
and a tenth of the net profits. He was allowed also to 
establish a mayorazgo, or entailed estate, in his family, 
of which he immediately availed himself, devising his 
estates to his male descendants, with the express charge 
that his successor should never use any other tide in 
signature than simply 'The Admiral.' As he had felt 
aggrieved by the royal license for general discovery, 
granted in 1495, it was annulled as far as it might be 
prejudicial to his interests, or to the previous grants made 
him by the crown. The titles and prerogatives of ade- 
lantado were likewise conferred upon Don Bartholomew, 
though the king had at first been displeased with Colum- 
bus for investing his brother with dignities which were 
only in the gift of the sovereign. 

While all these measures were taken for the immedi- 
ate gratification of Columbus, others were adopted for 
the good of the colony. The precise number of persons 
was fixed, who were to be sent to Hispaniola, among 



164 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

whom were several females ; and regulations were made 
for their payment and support, and for the distribution 
of lands among them to be diligently cultivated. The 
greatest care was enjoined likewise by Isabella in the 
religious instruction of the natives, and the utmost lenity 
in collecting the tributes imposed upon them. With 
respect to the government of the colony, also, it was 
generally recommended that, whenever the public safety 
did not require stern measures, there should be manifest- 
ed a disposition to indulgent and easy rule. 

When every intention was thus shown on the part of 
the crown to despatch the expedition, unexpected diffi- 
culties arose on the part of the public. The charm was 
dispelled which, in the preceding voyage, had made 
every adventurer crowd into the service of Columbus ; 
the new-found world, instead of a region of wealth and 
enjoyment, was now considered a land of poverty and 
disaster. To supply the want of voluntary recruits, 
therefore, Columbus proposed to transport to Hispaniola, 
for a limited term of years, all criminals condemned to 
banishment or the galleys, excepting such as had com- 
mitted crimes of an atrocious nature. This pernicious 
measure shows the desperate alternative to which he 
was reduced by the reaction of public sentiment. It 
proved a fruitful source of misery and disaster to the 
colony; and having frequently been adopted by various 
nations, whose superior experience should have taught 
them better, has proved the bane of many a rising set- 
tlement. 

Notwithstanding all these expedients, and the urgent 
representations of Columbus, of the sufferings to which 
the colony must be reduced for want of supplies, it was 
not until the beginning of 1498, that the two ships were 
despatched to Hispaniola, under the command of Pedro 
Fernandez Coronal. A still further delay occurred in 
fitting out the six ships that were to bear Columbus on 
his voyage of discovery. His cold-blooded enemy Fon- 
seca, who was now bishop of Badajoz, having the super- 
intendence of Indian affairs, was enabled to impede and 
retard all his plans. The various officers and agents 



OF COLUMBUS. 165 

employed in the concerns of the armament were most of 
them dependents and minions of the bishop, and sought 
to gratify him, by throwing all kinds of difficulties in the 
way of Columbus, treating him with that arrogance which 
petty and ignoble men in place are prone to exercise, 
when they think they can do so with impunity. So 
wearied and disheartened did he become by these delays, 
and by the prejudices of the fickle public, that he at one 
time thought of abandoning his discoveries altogether. 

The insolence of these worthless men harassed him to 
the last moment of his sojourn in Spain, and followed him 
to the water's edge. One of the most noisy and presum- 
ing was one Ximeno de Breviesca, treasurer of Fonseca, 
a converted Jew or Moor, and a man of impudent front 
and unbridled tongue, who, echoing the sentiment of his 
patron the bishop, had been loud in his abuse of the ad 
miral and his enterprises. 

At the very time that Columbus was on the point of 
embarking, he was assailed by the insolence of this Xi- 
meno. Forgetting, in the hurry and indignation of the 
moment, his usual self-command, he struck the despica- 
ble minion to the earth, and spurned him with his foot, 
venting in this unguarded paroxysm the accumulated 
griefs and vexations which had long rankled in his heart. 
This transport of passion, so unusual in his well-governed 
temper, was artfully made use of by Fonseca, and others 
of his enemies, to injure him in the royal favor. The 
personal castigation of a public officer was represented as 
a flagrant instance of his vindictive temper, and a cor- 
roboration of the charges of cruelty and oppression sent 
home from the colony; and we are assured that certain 
humiliating measures, shortly afterwards adopted towards 
him, were in consequence of the effect produced upon 
the sovereigns by these misrepresentations. Columbus 
himself deeply regretted his indiscretion, and foresaw the 
invidious use that would be made of it. It would be 
difficult to make, with equal brevity, a more direct and 
affecting appeal than that contained in one of his letters, 
wherein he alludes to this affair. He entreats the sover- 
eigns jiot to let it be wrested to his injury in their opin' 



166 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

ion; but to remember, when any tiling should be said to 
his disparagement, that he was "absent, envied, and a 
stranger." 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

Discovery of Trinidad and the Coast of Paria. — Arrival 
at San Domingo. [1498.] 

On the 30th of May, 1498, Columbus set sail from the 
port of San Lucar de Barrameda, with a squadron of six 
vessels, on his third voyage of discovery. From various 
considerations, he was induced to take a different route 
from that pursued in his former expeditions. He had 
been assured by persons who had traded to the East, that 
the rarest objects of commerce, such as gold, precious 
stones, drugs, and spices, were chiefly to be found in the 
regions about the equator, where the inhabitants were 
black or darkly colored; and that, until he arrived among 
people of such complexions, it was not probable he would 
find those articles in great abundance. 

Columbus expected to find such people more to the 
south and southeast. He recollected that the natives 
of Hispaniola had spoken of black men who had once 
come to their island from the south, the heads of whose 
javelins were of guanin, or adulterated gold. The na- 
tives of the Caribbee Islands, also, had informed him that 
a great tract of the main land lay to the south; and in his 
preceding voyage he had remarked that Cuba, which he 
supposed to be the continent of Asia, swept off in that 
direction. He proposed, therefore, to take his departure 
from the Cape de Verde Islands, sailing to the southwest 
until he should come under the equinoctial line, then to 
steer directly westward, with the favor of the trade 
winds. 

Having touched at the islands of Porto Santo and Ma 



OP COLUMBUS. 167 

deira, to take in wood and water, he continued his course 
to the Canary Islands, from whence he despatched three 
of his ships direct for Hispaniola, with supphes for the 
colony. With the remaining three he prosecuted his 
voyage towards the Cape de Verde Islands. The ship 
in which he sailed was decked, the other two were mer- 
cliant caravels. As he advanced within the tropics, the 
change of climate, and the close and sultry weather, 
brought on a severe attack of the gout, accompanied by 
a violent fever; but he still enjoyed the full possession of 
his faculties, and continued to keep his reckoning and 
make his observations with his usual vigilance and minutp 
ness. 

On the 5th of July, he took his departure from the 
Cape de Verde Islands, and steered to the southwest 
until he arrived, according to his observations, in the fifth 
degree of north latitude. Here the wind suddenly fell, 
and a dead, sultry calm succeeded. The air was like a 
furnace, the tar melted from the sides of the ships, the 
seams yawned, the salt meat became putrid, the wheal 
was parched as if with fire, some of the wine and water 
casks burst, and the heat in the holds of the vessels was 
so suffocating that no one could remain below to prevent 
the damage that was taking place among the sea stores. 
The mariners lost all strength and spirits. It seemed as 
if the old fable of the torrid zone was about to be realized, 
and that they were approaching a fiery region, where 
it would be impossible to exist. It is true, (ho heavens 
became overcast, and there were drizzling showers, but 
the atmosphere was close and stifling, and there was that 
combination of heat and moisture which relaxes all the 
energies of the human frame. 

A continuation of this weather, together with the re- 
monstrances of his crew, and his extreme suffering from 
the gout, ultimately induced him to alter his route, and 
stand to the northwest, in hopes of falling in with the 
Caribbee Islands, where he might repair his ships, and 
obtain water and provisions. After sailing some distance 
in this direction, through an ordeal of heats and calms, 
and murky, stifling atmosphere, the ships all at once 



168 THli LIFE AND VOYAGES 

emerged into a genial region; a pleasant, cooling breeze 
played over the sea, and gently filled their sails; the sky 
became serene and clear, and the sun shone forth with all 
its splendor, but no longer with a burning heat. 

On the 31st of July, when there was not above a cask 
of water remaining in each ship, a mariner, named Alon- 
zo Perez, descried, from the mast-head, tin'ee mountains 
rising above the horizon. As the ships drew nearer, 
these mountains proved to be united at the base. Co- 
lumbus, therefore, from a religious association of ideas, 
gave this island the name of La Trinidad, which it con- 
tinues to bear at the present day. 

Shaping his course for this island, he approached its 
eastern extremity, to which he gave the name of Punta 
de Galera, from a rock in the sea which resembled a gal- 
ley under sail. He then coasted along the southern 
shore, between Trinidad and the main land, which he 
beheld on the south, stretching to the distance of more 
than twenty leagues. It was that low tract of coast inter- 
sected by the numerous branches of the Orinoco, but the 
admiral, supposing it to be an island, gave it the name of 
La Isla Santa; little imagining that he now, far the first 
time, beheld that continent, that Terra Firma, which had 
been the object of his earnest search. 

He was for several days coasting the island of Trini- 
dad, and exploring the great gulf of Paria, which lies 
behind it, fancying himself among islands, and that he 
must find a passage to the open ocean by keeping to the 
bottom of the gulf. During this time, he was nearly 
swept from his anchors and thrown on shore by a sudden 
rush and swell of the sea, near Point Arenal, between 
Trinidad and the main land, caused, as is supposed, by 
the swelling of one of the rivers which flow into the gulf. 
He landed on the inside of the long promontory of Pa- 
ria, which he mistook for an island, and had various inter- 
views with the natives, from whom he procured great 
quantities of pearls, many of a fine siz(; and quality. 

There were several phenomena that surprised and 
perplexed Columbus in the course of his voyage along 
this coast, and which gave rise to speculations, some in- 



OF COLUMBUS. 109 

genious and others fanciful. He was astonished at the 
v^ast body of fresh water continually flowing into the gulf 
of Paria, so as apparently to sweeten the whole surround- 
ing sea, and at the constant current which set through it, 
which he supposed to be produced by some great river. 
He remarked, with wondering, also, the diflerence be- 
tween the climate, vegetation, and people of these coasts, 
and those of the same parallel in Africa. There the heat 
was insupportable, and the land parched and sterile, the 
inhabitants were black, with crisped wool, ill shapen, and 
of dull and brutal natures. Here, on the contrary, al- 
though the sun was in Leo, he found the noontide heat 
moderate, the mornings and evenings fresh and cool, the 
country green and fruitful, covered with beautiful forests, 
and watered by innumerable streams and fountains; the 
people fairer than even those in the lands he had discov- 
ered further north, with long hair, well proportioned, and 
graceful forms, lively minds, and courageous spirits. In 
respect to the vast body of fresh water, he made one of 
his simple and great conclusions. Such a mighty stream 
could not be produced by an island; it must be the out- 
pouring of a continent. He now supposed, that the va- 
rious tracts of land which he had beheld about the gulf, 
Vv^ere connected together, and continued to an immense 
distance to the south, far beyond the equator, into that 
hemisphere hitherto unknown to civilized man. As to 
the mild temperature of the climate, the fresh verdure of 
the country, and the comparative fairness of the inhabi- 
tants, in a parallel so near to the equator, he attributed 
it to the superior elevation of this part of the globe; for, 
from a variety of circumstances, ingeniously but errone- 
ously reasoned upon, he inferred, that philosophers had 
been mistaken in the form of the earth, which, instead of 
being a perfect sphere, he now concluded to be shaped 
like a pear, one part more elevated than the rest, rising 
into the purer regions of the air, above the heats, and 
frosts, and storms of the lower parts of the earth. He 
imagined this apex to be situated about the equinoctial 
line, in the interior of this vast continent, which he con- 
-^idered the extremity of the East; that on this summit, 
!5 I. 



I70 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

as it were, of the earth, was situated the terrestrial para- 
dise; and that the vast stream of fresh water, which 
poured into the gulf of Paria, issued from the fountain 
of the tree of life, in the midst of the garden of Eden. 
Extravagant as this speculation may seem at the present 
day, it was grounded on the writings of the most sage and 
learned men of those times, among whom the situation oi 
the terrestrial paradise had long been a subject of dis- 
cussion and controversy, and by several of whom it was 
supposed to be on a vast mountain, in the remote parts 
of the East. 

The mind of Columbus was so possessed by these 
theories, and he was so encouraged by the quantities of 
pearls which he had met with, for the first time in the 
new world, that he would gladly have followed up his 
discovery, not doubting but that the country would in- 
crease in the value of its productions as he approached 
the equator. The sea stores of his ships, however, were 
almost exhausted, and the various supplies with which 
they were freighted for the colony, were in danger of 
spoiling. He was suffering, also, extremely in his health. 
Besides the gout, which had rendered him a cripple for 
the greater part of the voyage, he was afflicted by a com- 
plaint in his eyes, caused by fatigue and overwatching, 
which almost deprived him of sight. He determined, 
therefore, to hasten to Hispaniola, intending to repose 
there from his fatigues, and recruit his health, while he 
should send his brother, the adelantado, to complete this 
important discovery. 

On the 14th of x\ugust, therefore, he left the gulf, by 
a narrow strait between the promontory of Paria and the 
island of Trinidad. This strait is beset with small 
islands, and the current which sets through the gulf is 
so compressed between them as to cause a turbulent sea, 
with great foaming and roaring, as if rushing over rocks 
and shoals. The admiral conceived himself in imminent 
danger of shipwreck when passing through this strait, 
and gave it the name of La Boca del Drago, or the 
Mouiii of the Dragon. After reconnoitering the coast 
to the westward, as far as the islands of Cubaga and 



OF C0LUMBU3. 171 

Margarita, and convincing himself of its oeing a conti- 
nent, he bore away for Hispaniola, for the river Ozema, 
where he expected to find a new settlement, which he 
had instiaicted his brother to form in the neighoorhood 
of the mines. He was borne far to the westward by the 
currents, but at length reached his desired haven, where 
he arrived, haggard, emaciated, and almost blind, and 
was received with open arms by the adelantado. The 
brothers were strongly attached to each other ; Don 
Bartholomew had a great deference for the brilliant genius, 
the enlarged mind, and the commanding reputation of 
his brother; while the latter placed great reliance, in 
times of difficulty, on the worldly knowledge, the inde- 
fatigable activity, and the lion-hearted courage of the 
adelantado. They had both, during their long separation, 
experienced the need of each other's sympathy and sup- 
port. 



CHAPTER XXX. 

Mministration of the Adelantado. 

Columbus had anticipated a temporary repose from 
his toils on arriving at Hispaniola; but a new scene of 
trouble and anxiety opened upon him, which was des- 
tined to affect all his future fortunes. To explain this, it 
is necessary to state the occurrences of the island during 
his long detention in Spain. 

When he sailed for Europe in INfarch, 1496, his broth- 
er, Don Bartholomew, immediately proceeded to execute 
his instructions with respect to the gold mines of Hayna. 
He built a fortress in the neighborhood, which he named 
St. Christoval, and another fortress not far off, on the 
eastern bank of the Ozema, in the vicinity of the village 
inhabited by the female cacique who had first given intelli- 
gence of the mines to IMiguel Diaz. This fortress was 



172 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

called San Domingo, and was the origin of the city which 
still bears that name. 

Having garrisoned these fortresses, and made arrange- 
ments for working the mines, the indefatigable adelan- 
tado set out to visit the dominions of Behechio, which 
had not as yet been reduced to obedience. This cacique, 
as has been mentioned, reigned over Xaragua, a province 
comprising almost the whole of the west end of the 
island, including Cape Tiburon. It was one of the most 
populous and fertile districts. The inhabitants were 
finely formed, had a noble air, a more agreeable elocu- 
tion, and more soft and graceful manners, than the natives 
of the other part of the island. The Indians of Hayti 
generally placed their elysium, or paradise of happy spirits, 
in the delightful valleys that bordered the great lake of 
Xaragua. 

With Behechio resided his sister Anacaona, wife of 
the late formidable Caonabo, one of the most beautiful 
females in the island, of great natural grace and dignity, 
and superior intelligence; her name in the Indian language 
signified Golden Flower. She had taken refuge with 
her brother, after the capture and ruin of her husband, 
but appears never to have entertained any vindictive 
feelings against the Spaniards, whom she regarded with 
great admiration as almost superhuman beings. On the 
contrary, she counselled her brother, over whom she had 
great influence, to take warning by the fate of her husband, 
and to conciliate their friendship. 

Don Bartholomew entered the province of Xaragua at 
the head of an armed band, putting his cavalry in the 
advance, and marching with banners displayed, and the 
sound of drum and trumpet. Behechio met him with a 
numerous force, but being assured that he came merely 
on a friendly visit, he dismissed his army, and conducted 
the adelantado to his residence in a large town, near the 
deep bay called at present the bight of Leagon. 

As they approached, thirty young females, of the ca- 
cique's household, beautifully formed, came forth to meet 
them, waving palm branches, and dancing and singing 
their areytos or traditionary ballads. When they came 



OF COLUMBUS. 173 

oefore Don Bartholomew, they knelt and laid their 
palm branches at his feet. After these came the beau- 
tiful Anacaona, reclining on a litter, borne by six In- 
dians. She was lightly clad in a robe of various col- 
ored cotton, with a fragrant garland of red and white 
flowers round her head, and wreaths of the same round 
her neck and arms. She received the adelantado with 
that natural grace and courtesy for which she was cele- 
brated. 

For several days Don Bartholomew remained in Xara- 
gua, entertained by the cacique and his sister with ban- 
quets, national games, and dances, and other festivities; 
then having arranged for a periodical tribute to be paid 
in cotton, hemp, and cassava bread, the productions of 
the surrounding country, he took a friendly leave of his 
hospitable entertainers, and set out with his little army for 
Isabella. 

He found the settlement in a sickly state, and suffering 
from a scarcity of provisions, he distributed, therefore, 
all that were too feeble to labor or bear arms into the 
interior, where they might have better air and more abun- 
dant food; and at the same time he established a chain 
of fortresses between Isabella and San Domingo. Insur- 
rections broke out among the natives of the vega, caused 
by their impatience of tribute, by the outrages of some 
of the Spaniards, and by a severe punishment inflicted 
on certain Indians for the alleged violation of a chapel. 
Guarionex, a man naturally moderate and pacific, was 
persuaded by his brother caciques to take up arms, and a 
combination was formed among them to rise suddenly 
upon the Spaniards, massacre them, and destroy Fort 
Conception, which was situated in the vega. By some 
means the garrison received intimation of the conspiracy. 
They immediately wrote a letter to the adelantado, 
imploring prompt assistance. How to convey the letter 
in safety was an anxious question, for the natives had 
discovered that these letters had a wonderful power of 
communicating intelligence, and fancied that they <;ould 
talk. An Indian undertook to be the bearer of it. He 
enclosed it in a staff, and set out on his journey. Being 
15* 



174 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

intercepted, he pretended to be dumb and lame, leaning 
upon his staff for support. He was suffered to depart, 
and limped forward until out of sight, when he resumed 
his speed, and bore the letter safely and expeditiously to 
San Domingo. 

The adelantado, with his accustomed promptness, set 
out with a body of troops for the fortress. By a rapid 
and well-concerted stratagem, he surprised the leaders in 
the night, in a village in which they were sleeping, and 
carried them all off captive, seizing upon Guarionex with 
his own hand. He completed his enterprise with spirit, 
sagacity, and moderation. Informing himself of the 
particulars of the conspiracy, he punished two caciques, 
the principal movers of it, with death, and pardoned all 
the rest. Finding, moreover, that Guarionex had been 
chiefly incited to hostility by an outrage committed by a 
Spaniard on his favorite wife, he inflicted punishment on 
the offender. The heart of Guarionex was subdued by 
the unexpected clemency of the adelantado, and he made 
a speech to his subjects in praise of the Spaniards. They 
listened to him with attention, and when he had concluded, 
bore him off on their shoulders with songs and shouts of 
joy, and for some time the tranquillity of the vega was 
restored. 

About this time, receiving information from Behechio, 
cacique of Xaragua, that his tribute in cotton and provis- 
ions was ready for delivery, the adelantado marched there, 
at the head of his forces, to receive it. So large a quan- 
tity of cotton and cassava bread was collected together, 
that Don Bartholomew had to send to the settlement of 
Isabella for a caravel to be freighted with it. In the 
mean-time, the utmost kindness was lavished upon their 
guests by these gentle and generous people. The troubles 
which distracted the other parts of devoted Hayti had not 
yet reached this pleasant region; and when the Spaniards 
regarded the fertility and sweetness of the country, bor- 
dering on a tranquil sea, the kindness of the inhabitants, 
and the beauty of the women, they pronounced it a per- 
fect paradise. 

When the caravel arrived on the coast, it was regard- 



OF COLUMBUS. 175 

ed by Anacaona and her brother with awe and wonder. 
Behechio visited it with his canoes; but his sister, with 
her female attendants, were conveyed on board in the 
boat of the adelantado. As they approached, the cara- 
vel fired a salute. At the sound of the cannon, and the 
sight of volumes of smoke, bursting from the side of the 
ship and rolling along the sea, Anacaona, overcome with 
dismay, fell into the arms of the adelantado, and her 
attendants would have leaped overboard, but were reas- 
sured by the cheerful words of Don Bartholemew. As 
they drew nearer the vessel, several instruments of mar- 
tial music struck up, with which they were greatly de- 
lighted. Their admiration increased, on entering on 
board; but when the anchor was weighed, the sails filled 
by a gentle breeze, and they beheld this vast mass veer- 
ing from side to side, apparently by its own will, and 
playing like a huge monster on the deep, the brother and 
sister remained gazing at each other in mute astonishment. 
Nothing seems ever to have filled the mind of the savage 
with more wonder than that beautiful triumph of human 
ingenuity — a ship under sail. 

While the adelantado was thus absent quelling insur- 
rections,* and making skilful arrangements for the pros- 
perity of the colony, and the advantage of the crown, new 
mischiefs were fermenting in the factious settlement of 
Isabella. The prime mover was Francisco Roldan, a 
man who had been raised by Columbus from poverty and 
obscurity, and promoted from one ofBce to another, until 
he had appointed him alcalde mayor, or chief judge of 
the island. He was an uneducated man, but of strong 
natural talents, great assiduity, and intrepid impudence. 
He had seen his benefactor return to Sp^in, apparently 
under a cloud of disgrace, and, considering him a fallen 
man, began to devise how he might profit by his downfall. 
He was intrusted with an office inferior only to that of 
the adelantado; the brothers of Columbus were highly 
unpopular; he imagined it possible to ruin them, both 
with the colonists and with the government at home, and 
by dexterous management to work his way into a com- 
mand of the colony. For this purpose he mingled among 



176 THE LIPE AND VOYAGES 

the common people, threw out suggestions that the adnn- 
ral was in disgrace, and would never return; railed at the 
adelantado and Don Diego as foreigners, who took no 
interest in their welfare, but used them merely as slaves 
to build houses and fortresses for them, or to swell their 
state, and secure their power, as they marched about the 
island, enriching themselves with the spoils of the ca- 
ciques. By these seditious insinuations, he exasperated 
their feelings to such a degree, that they at one time 
formed a conspiracy to assassinate the adelantado, but 
it was happily disconcerted by accident. 

When the caravel returned from Xaragua, laden with 
provisions, it was dismantled by order of Don Diego, 
and drawn upon the beach. Roldan immediately seized 
upon this circumstance to awaken new suspicions. He 
said the true reason for dismantling the caravel was to 
prevent any of the colonists returning in it to Spain, to 
represent the oppressions under which they suflered. He 
advised them to launch and take possession of the ves-d, 
as the only means of regaining their independence, 'i i.uy 
might then ihrov/ off the tyranny of these upstart for- 
eigners, and might lead a life of ease and quiet, employ- 
ing the Indians as slaves, and enjoying unlimited indul- 
gence with respect to the Indian women. 

Don Diego was informed of these seditious movements, 
but he was of a mild, pacific nature, and deficient in 
energy. Fearing to come to an open rupture in the 
mutinous state of the colony, he thought to divert Rol- 
dan from his schemes by giving him distant and active 
employment. He detached him suddenly, therefore, 
with a small force, to overawe the Indians of the vega, 
who had shown a disposition to revolt. Roldan made 
use of this opportunity to organize an armed faction. 
He soon got seventy well-armed and resolute men at his 
command, disposed to go all desperate lengths with him, 
and he made friends and partisans among the discontented 
caciques, promising to free them from tribute. He now 
threw off the mask, and openly set the adelantado and 
his brother at defiance, as men who had no authority 
from the crown, but were appointed by Columbus, who 



OF COLUMBUS. 177 

was himself in disgrace. He pretended always to act in 
his official capacity, and to do every thing from loyal 
motives, and every act of open rebellion was accompanied 
with shouts of "Long live the king!" Having endeav- 
ored repeatedly to launch the caravel, but in vain, he 
broke open the royal stores, and supplied his followers 
with arms, clothing, and provisions, and then marched 
off to the vega, and attempted to surprise and get pos- 
session of Fort Conception, but was happily foiled by 
its commander, Miguel Ballester, a stanch old soldier, 
both resolute and wary, who kept the enemy at bay until 
succor should arrive. 

The conspiracy had attained a formidable head during 
the absence of the adelantado, several persons of conse- 
quence having joined it, among whom was Adrian de 
Moxica, and Diego de Escobar, the latter being alcayde 
of the fortress of La Madalena. Don Bartholemevv was 
perplexed at first, and could not act with his usual vigor 
and decision, not knowing in whom he could confide, or 
how far the conspiracy had extended. On receiving 
tidings, however, from INIiguel Ballester, of the danger 
of Fort Conception, he threw himself, with what forces 
he could collect, into that fortress, and held a parley with 
Roldan from one of the windows, ordering him to sur 
render his staff of office as alcalde mfyor, and submit 
peaceably to superior authority. All threats and remon- 
strances, however, were vain; Roldan persisted in his 
rebellion. He represented the adelantado as the tyrant 
of the Spaniards, the oppressor of the Lidians; and 
himself as the redresser of wrongs and champion of the 
injured. He sought, by crafty emissaries, to corrupt the 
garrison of Fort Conception, and seduce them to desert, 
and laid plans to surprise and seize upon the adelantado, 
should he leave the fortress. 

The affairs of the island were now in a lamentable sit- 
uation. The Indians, perceiving the dissensions among 
the Spaniards, and encouraged by the protection of Rol- 
dan, ceased to send in their tributes, and threw off alle- 
giance to the government. Roldan's band daily gained 
strength, and ranged insolently and at large about the 



178 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

country; while the Spaniards who remained loyal, fearing 
conspiracies among the natives, had to keep imder shel- 
ter of the forts. Munitions of all kinds were rapidly 
wasting, and the spirits of the well-affected were sinking 
into despondency. The adelantado himself remained shut 
up in Fort Conception, doubtful of the fidelity of his own 
garrison, and secretly informed of the plots to capture or 
destroy him, should he venture abroad. Such was the 
desperate state to which the colony was reduced by the 
long detention of Columbus in Spain, and the impediments 
thrown in the way of all his endeavors to send out sup- 
plies and reenforcements. Fortunately, at this critical 
juncture, the arrival of two ships, under command of Pe- 
dro Hernandez Coronal, at the port of San Domingo, 
ivith troops and provisions, strengthened the hands of 
Don Bartholomew. The royal confirmation of his title 
and authority of adelantado at once put an end to all 
question of the legitimacy of his power, and secured the 
fidelity of his soldiers, and the tidings that the admiral 
was in high favor at court, and on the point of coming 
out with a powerful squadron, struck consternation into 
the rebels, who had presumed upon his having fallen into 
disgrace. 

The adelantado immediately hastened to San Domin- 
go, nor was ther? any attempt made to molest him on 
his march. When he found himself once more secure, 
his magnanimity prevailed over his indignation, and he 
sent Pedro Hernandez Coronal, to offer Roldan and his 
band amnesty for all offences, on condition of instant 
obedience. Roldan feared to venture into his power, 
and determined to prevent the emissary from communi- 
cating with his followers, lest they sliould be induced to 
return to their allegiance. When Coronal approached 
the encampment of the rebels, therefore, he was opposed 
in a narrow pass by a body of archers with their cross- 
bows levelled. "Halt there, traitor!" cried Roldan; 
" had you arrived eight days later, we should all have 
been united." 

It was in vain that Coronal endeavored to win this 
turbulent man from his career. He professed to oppose 



OF COLUMBUS. 179 

only the tyranny and misrule of the adelantado, but to be 
ready to submit to the admiral on his arrival, and he and 
his principal confederates wrote letters to that eflect to 
their friends in San Domingo. 

When Coronal returned with accounts of Roldan's 
contumacy, the adelantado proclaimed him and his fol- 
lowers traitors. That shrewd rebel, however, did not 
suffer his men to remain within the reach either of prom- 
ise or menace. He proposed to them to march off, and 
establish themselves in the remote province of Xaragua. 
The Spaniards who had been there, had given the most 
alluring accounts of the country and its inhabitants, and 
above all of the beauty of the women, for they had been 
captivated by the naked charms of the dancing nymphs 
of Xaragua. In this delightful region, emancipated from 
the iron rule of the adelantado, and relieved from the 
necessity of irksome labor, they might lead a life of per- 
fect freedom and indulgence, with a world of beauty at 
their command. In short, Roldan drew a picture of 
loose sensual enjoyment, such as he knew to be irresisti- 
ble with men of idle and dissolute habits. His followers 
acceded with joy to his proposition; so, putting himself 
at their head, he marched away for Xaragua. 

Scarcely had the rebels departed, when fresh msur- 
rections broke out among the Indians of the vega. The 
cacique Guarionex, moved by the instigations of Rol 
dan, and forgetful of his gratitude to Don Bartholomew, 
entered into a new league to destroy the Spaniards, and 
surprise Fort Conception. The plot exploded before 
its time, and was defeated; and Guarionex, hearing that 
the adelantado Vt^as on the march for the vega, fled to 
the mountains of Ciguay, with his family, and a small 
band of faithful followers. The inhabitants of these 
mountains were the most robust and hardy tribe of the 
island, and the same who had skirmished with the Span- 
iards in the gulf of Samana, in the course of the first 
voyage of Columbus. The reader may remember the 
frank and confiding faith with which their cacique trusted 
himself on board of the caravel of the admiral, the day 
after the skirmish. It was to this same cacique, named 



180 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

Mayonabex, that the fugitive chieftain of the vega apphed 
for refuge, and he received a promise of protection. 

Indignant at finding his former clemency of no avail, 
the adelantado pursued Guarionex to the mountains, at 
the head of ninety men, a few cavahy, and a body of 
Indians. It was a rugged and difficuk enterprise; the 
troops had to climb rocks, wade rivers, and make their 
way through tangled forests, almost impervious to men 
in armor, encumbered with targets, crossbows, and 
lances. They were continually exposed, also, to the 
ambushes of the Indians, who would rush forth with fu- 
rious yells, discharge their weapons, and then lake refuge 
again among rocks and thickets, where it was in vain to 
follow them. Don Bartholomew arrived, at length, in 
the neighborhood of Cape Cabron, the residence of 
Mayonabex, and sent a messenger, demanding the sur- 
render of Guarionex, promising friendship in case of 
compliance, but threatening to lay waste his territory 
with fire and sword, in case of refusal. " Tell the Span- 
iards," said the cacique, in reply, "that they are tyrants, 
usurpers, and shedders of innocent blood, and I desire 
not their friendship. Guarionex is a good man, and my 
friend. He has fled to me for refuge; I have promised 
him protection, and I will keep my word." 

The cacique, in fact, adhered to his promise with 
admirable faith. His villages were burnt, his territories 
were ravaged, himself and his family driven to dens and 
caves of the mountains, and his subjects assailed him 
with clamors, urging him to give up the fugitive, who 
was bringing such ruin upon their tribe. It was all in 
vain. He was ready, he declared, to abide all evils, 
rather than it should ever be said Mayonabex betrayed 
his guest. 

For three months the adelantado hunted these caciques 
among the mountains, during which time he and his sol- 
diers were almost worn out with toil and hunger, and 
exposures of all kind. The retreat of Mayonabex was 
at length discovered. Twelve Spaniards, disguising 
themselves as Indians, and wrapping their swords in 
palm leaves, came upon him secretly, and surprised and 



OF COLUMBUS. 181 

captured him, wilh liis wife and children and a few at- 
tendants. The adelanlado returned, with his prisoners, 
to Fort Conception, where he afterwards released them 
all, excepting the cacique, whom he detained as a hos- 
tage for the submission of his tribe. The unfortunate 
Guarionex still lurked among the caverns of the mountains, 
but was driven, by hunger, to venture down occasionally 
into the plain, in quest of food. His haunts were discov- 
ered, he was waylaid and captured by a party of Spaniards, 
and brought in chains to Fort Conception. After his 
repeated insurrections, and the extraordinary zeal dis- 
played in his pursuit, he anticipated death from the ven- 
geance of the adelantado. Don Bartholomew, however, 
though stern in his policy, was neither vindictive nor 
cruel; he contented himself with detaining him a prison- 
er, to insure the tranquillity of the vega; and then return- 
ed to San Domingo, where, shortly afterwards, he had 
the happiness of welcoming the arrival of his brother, 
the admiral, after a separation of nearly two years and a 
half. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

Rebellion of Rolclan. [1498.] 

One of the first measures of Columbus, on his arrival, 
was to issue a proclamation, approving of all that the 
adelantado had done, and denouncing Roldan and his 
associates. That turbulent man had proceeded to Xara- 
gua, where he had been kindly received by the natives. 
A circumstance occurred to add to his party and his 
resources. The three caravels detached by Columbus 
from the Canary Islands, and freighted with supplies, 
having been carried far west of their reckoning by the 
currents, arrived on the coast of Xaragua. The rebels 
were at first alarmed lest there should be vessels de- 
spatched in pursuit of them. Roldan, who was as saga- 
16 I 



182 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

cious as he was bold, soon divined the truth. Enjoining 
the utmost secrecy on his men, he went on board, and pre- 
tending to be in command at that end of the island, suc- 
ceeded in procuring a supply of arms and military stores, 
and in making partisans among the crews, many of whom 
were criminals and vagabonds from Spanish prisons, 
shipped in compliance with the admiral's ill-judged prop- 
osition. It was not until the third day that Alonzo 
Sanchez de Carvajal, the most intelligent of the three 
captains, discovered the real character of the guests he 
had entertained, but the mischief was then effected. 

As the ships were detained by contrary winds, it was 
arranged among the captains that a large number of the 
people should be conducted by land to San Domingo, 
by Juan Antonio Colonbo, captain of one of the caravels, 
and a relation of the admiral. He accordingly landed 
with forty men, well armed, but was astonished to find 
himself suddenly deserted by all his party excepting 
eight. The deserters joined the rebels, who received 
them with shouts of exultation. Juan Antonio, grieved 
and disconcerted, returned on board with the few who 
remained faithful. Fearing further desertions, the ships 
immediately put to sea; but Carvajal, giving his vessel in 
charge to his officers, landed and remained with the reb- 
els, fancying he had perceived signs of wavering in Rol- 
dan and some of his associates, and that, by earnest per- 
suasion, he might induce them to return to their allegiance. 
The certainty that Columbus was actually on the way to 
the island, with additional forces, and augmented authori- 
ty, had, in fact, operated strongly on their minds ; but 
all attempts to produce immediate submission were in 
vain. Roldan promised that the moment he heard of 
the arrival of Columbus, he would repair to the neighbor- 
hood of San Domingo, to be at hand to state his griev- 
ances, and to enter into a negotiation for the adjustment 
of all differences. He wrote a letter to the same pur- 
port, to be delivered to the admiral. With this Carva- 
jal departed, and was escorted to within six leagues of 
San Domingo, by six of the rebels. On reaching that 
place he found Columbus already arrived, and delivered 



OF COLUMBUS. 18^ 

to him the letter of Roldan, expressing at the same time 
an opinion, that the insurgents might easily be brought to 
their allegiance by an assurance of amnesty. In fact, the 
rebels soon began to assemble at the village of Bonao, 
in a fine valley of the same name, about twenty leagues 
from San Domingo, and ten from Fort Conception. 
Here they made their headquarters at the house of 
Pedro Reguelme, one of the ringleaders. 

Columbus immediately'wrote to Miguel Ballester, the 
commander of Fort Conception, advising him to be on 
his guard. He empowered him to h?ve an interview 
with Roldan, to offer him full pardon on condition of his 
Immediate return to duty, and to invite him to repair to 
San Dommgo to treat with the admiral, under a solemn, 
and, if required, a written assurance of personal safety. 
At the same time he issued a proclamation, offering free 
passage to all who wished to return to Spain, in five ves- 
sels about to be put to sea, hoping, by this means, to 
relieve the colony from all the idle and disaffected. 

Ballester was an old and venerable man, giayheaded, 
and of a soldier-like demeanor; he was loyal, frank, and 
virtuous, of a serious disposition, and great simplicity of 
heart. His appearance and character commanded the 
respect of the rebels ; but they treated the proffered 
pardon with contempt, made many demands of an arro- 
gant nature, and declared that in all further negotiations, 
they would treat with no mediator but Carvajal, having 
had proofs of his fairness and impartiality, in the course 
of their late communications with him at Xaragua. 

This insolent reply was totally different from what the 
admiral had been taught to expect. He now ordered the 
men of San Domingo to appear under arms, that he 
might ascertain the force with which he could take the 
field in case of necessity. A report was immediately 
circulated, that they were to be led to Bonao, against the 
rebels ; some of the inhabitants had relations, others 
friends, among the followers of Roldan; almost all were 
disaffected to the service ; not above seventy men ap- 
peared under arms; one affected to be ill, another lame; 
there were not forty to be relied upon. 



184 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

Columbus saw that a resort to arms would only serve 
to betray his own weakness, and the power of the rebels; 
it was necessary to temporize, therefore, however humili- 
ating such conduct might be deemed. His first care, 
was to despatch the five ships which he had detained in 
port, until he should receive the reply of Roldan. He 
was anxious that as many as possible of the discontented 
colonists should sail for Spain, before any commotion 
should take place. He wrote to the sovereigns an ac- 
count of his late voyage, giving an enthusiastic description 
of the newly-discovered continent, accompanied by a chart 
of the coast, and specimens of the pearls which he had 
procured from the natives. 

He informed the sovereigns, also, of the rebellion of 
Roldan, and as the latter pretended it was only a quarrel 
between him and the adelantado, he begged the matter 
might be investigated by their majesties, or by persons 
friendly to both parties. Among other judicious requests, 
he entreated that a man learned and experienced in the 
law, might be sent out to officiate as judge over the 
island. 

By this opportunity Roldan and his friends likewise 
sent letters to Spain, endeavoring to justify their rebel- 
lion, by charging Columbus and his brothers with oppres- 
sion and injustice, and painting their whole conduct in 
the blackest colors. It would naturally be supposed, 
that the representations of such men would have little 
weight in the balance against the tried merits and exalted 
services of Columbus; but they had numerous friends and 
relations in Spain to back them; Columbus was a for- 
eigner, without influence in the court, and with active 
enemies near the sovereigns, ever ready to place his 
conduct ill an unfavorable light. 

The ships being despatched, the admiral resumed his 
negotiation with the rebels. As the burden of their 
complaint was the strict rule of his brother, who was ac- 
cused of dealing out justice with a rigorous hand, he 
resolved to try the alternative of extreme lenity, and wrote 
a letter to Roldan, calling to mind past kindnesses, and 
entreating him, for the sake of bis own rep.ufation, which 



OF COLUMBUS. 185 

stood well with the sovereigns, not to persist in his pres- 
ent insubordination. He again repeated his assurance, 
that he and his companions might come to treat with him 
at San Domingo, under the faith of his word, for the 
inviolability of their persons. 

There was a difficulty as to who should be the bearer 
of this letter. The rebels had declared that they would 
receive no mediator but Alonzo Sanchez de Carvajal. 
Strong suspicions existed in the minds of many as to the 
integrity of that officer, from his transactions with the 
rebels at Xaragua, and his standing so high in their favor. 
Columbus, however, discarded all those suspicions, and 
confided implicitly in Carvajal, nor had he ever any cause 
to repent of his confidence. 

A painful and humiliating negotiation was now carried 
on for several days, in the course of which Roldan had 
an interview with Columbus at San Domingo, and several 
letters passed between them. The rebels felt their pow- 
er, and presumed, in consequence, to demand the most 
extravagant concessions. Miguel Ballester wrote at the 
same time to the admiral, advising him to agree to what- 
ever they might demand. He represented their forces 
as continually augmenting, and that the soldiers of his 
garrison were daily deserting to them, and gave it as his 
opinion, that unless some compromise were speedily ef- 
fected, and the rebels shipped off for Spain, not merely 
the. authority, but even the person of the admiral would 
be in danger; for though the hidalgos and the immediate 
officers and servants about him, would doubtless die in 
his service, yet he feared that the common people were 
but little to be depended upon. 

Thus urged by veteran counsel, and compelled by 
circumstances, Columbus at length made an arrangement 
with the rebels, by v/hich it was agreed, that Roldan and 
his followers should embark fcr Spain, from the port of 
Xaragua, in two ships which should be fitted out and 
victualled within fifty days. That they should each re- 
ceive from the admiral a certificate of good conduct, and 
an order for the amount of their pay up to the actual date. 
That slaves should be given them, as had been given to 
16* 



186 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

colonists, in consideration of services performed; ana 
that such as had wives, natives of the island, might take 
them with them in place of slaves. That satisfaction 
should be made for property of some of the company, 
which had been sequestrated, and for live stock which 
had belonged to Francis Roldan. 

It was a grievous circumstance to Columbus, that the 
vessels which should have borne his brother to explore 
the newly-discovered continent, had to be devoted to the 
transportation of this turbulent and worthless rabble; but 
he consoled himself with the idea that, the faction being 
once shipped off, the island would again be restored to 
tranquillity. The articles of arrangement being signed, 
Roldan and his followers departed for Xaragua, to await 
the arrival of the ships; and Columbus, putting his broth- 
er Don Diego in temporary command, set off with the 
adelantado on a tour to visit the various fortresses, and 
restore every thing to order. 

In the mean-while, unavoidable delays took place in 
fitting out the ships, and they encountered violent storms 
in their voyage from San Domingo to Xaragua, so as to 
arrive there long after the stipulated time, and that in a 
damaged condition. The followers of Roldan seized 
upon this as a pretext to refuse to embark, affirming that 
the ships had been purposely delayed, and eventually sent 
in a state not seaworthy, and short of provisions. New 
negotiations were therefore set on foot, and new terms 
demanded. It is probable that Roldan feared to return 
to Spain, and his followers were loth to give up their 
riotous and licentious life. In the midst of his perplexi- 
ties, Columbus received a letter from Spain, in replv to 
the earnest representations which he had made of the 
distracted state of the colony, and of the outrages of these 
licentious men. It was written by his invidious enemy 
tlie Bishop Fonseca, superintendent of Indian affairs. It 
informed him that his representations of the alleged rebel- 
lion had been received, but that the matter must be suf- 
fered to remain in suspense, as the sovereigns would in- 
vestigate and remedy it presently. 

This cold reply iiad the most disheartening effect upon 



OF COLUMBUS. 187 

Columbus, while it increased the insolence of the rebels, 
who saw that his complaints had little weight with the 
government. Full of zeal, however, for the prosecution 
of his discoveries, and of fidelity to the interests of the 
crown, he resolved, at any sacrifice of pride or comfort, 
to put an end to the troubles of the island. He departed 
therefore, in the latter part of August, with two caravels, 
to the port of Azna, accompanied by several of the most 
important personages of the colony, to give Roldan a 
meeting. The latter, in this interview, conducted him- 
self more like a conqueror exacting terms, than a delin- 
quent seeking pardon. Among other things, he demand- 
ed that such of his followers as chose to remain on the 
island, should have lands assigned them, and that he should 
be reinstated in his office of alcalde mayor, or chief judge. 
The mind grows wearied and impatient with recording, 
and the heart of the generous reader must burn with in- 
dignation at perusing, this protracted and ineffectual 
struggle, of a man of the exalted merits and matchless 
services of Columbus, in the toils of such contemptible 
miscreants. Surrounded by doubt and danger, a for- 
eigner among a jealous people, an inpopular commander 
in a mutinous island, distrusted and slighted by the gov- 
ernment he was seeking to serve, and creating suspicions 
by his very services, he knew not where to look for 
faithful advice, efficient aid, or candid judgement. He 
was alarmed too by symptoms of sedition among his own 
people, who talked of following the example of the rebels, 
and seizing upon the province of Higuey. Thus criti- 
cally situated, he signed a humiliating capitulation with 
the rebels, trusting he should afterwards be able to con- 
vmce the sovereigns it had been compulsory, and forced 
from him by the perils that threatened himself and the 
colony. 

When Roldan resumed his office of alcalde mayor, he 
displayed all tbe arrogance to be expected from one, who 
had intruded himself into power by profligate means. 
Columbus had a difficult and painful task in bearing with 
the insolence of this man, and of the shameless rabble 
thtt returned, under his auspices, to San Domingo. In 



188 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

compliance with the terms of agreement, he assigned them 
hberal portions of land, and numerous Indian slaves, taken 
in the wars, and contrived to distribute them in various 
places, some in Bonao, others in different parts of the 
vega. He made an arrangement, also, by which the 
caciques in their vicinity, instead of paying tribute, should 
furnish parties of their subjects, at stated times, to assist 
in the cultivation of their lands; a kind of feudal service, 
which was the origin of the repartimientos, or distribu- 
tions of free Indians among the colonists, afterwards gen- 
erally adopted and shamefully abused throughout the 
Spanish colonies, and which greatly contributed to exter- 
minate the natives from the island of Hispaniola. 

Having obtained such ample provisions for his follow- 
ers, Roldan was not more modest in making demands for 
himself. Besides certain lands in the vicinity of Isabella, 
which he claimed, as having belonged to him before his 
rebellion, he received a royal farm, called La Esperanza, 
in the vega, and extensive tracts in Xaragua, with live 
stock and repartimientos of Indians. 

One of the first measures of Roldan as alcalde mayor, 
was to appoint Pedro Reguelme, one of his most active 
confederates, alcalde of Bonao, an appointment which 
gave great displeasure to Columbus, being an assumption 
of power not vested in the office of Roldan. The admi- 
ral received private information, also, that Reguelme, 
under pretext of erecting a farm-house, was building a 
strong edifice on a hill, capable of being converted into a 
fortress, this, it was whispered, was done in concert with 
Roldan, by way of securing a strong-hold in case of need. 
The admiral immediately sent peremptory orders for 
Reguelme to desist from proceeding with the construction 
of the edifice. 

Columbus had proposed to return to Spain, having 
experienced the inefficiency of letters in explaining the 
affairs of the island; but the feverish state of the colony 
obliged him to give up the intention. The two caravels 
were despatched in October, taking such of the colonists 
as chose to return, and among them several of the parti- 
zans of Roldan, some of whom took Indian slaves with 



OF COLUMBUS. 189 

them, and others carried away the daughters of caciques, 
whom they had beguiled from their homes and famihes. 

Columbus wrote by this opportunity to the sovereigns, 
giving it as his opinion, that the agreement he had made 
with the rebels was by no means obligatory on the crown, 
having been, in a manner, extorted by violence. He 
repeated his request, that a learned man might be sent 
out as judge, and desired, moreover, that discreet per- 
sons might be appointed to form a council, and others for 
certain fiscal employments, entreating, however, that 
their powers might be so limited and defined as not to 
interfere with his dignities and privileges. Finding age 
and infirmity creeping upon him, he began to think of his 
son Diego as an active coadjutor, being destined to suc- 
ceed to his offices. He was still a page at court, but 
grown to man's estate, and capable of entering into the 
important concerns of life; he begged, therefore, that he 
might be sent out to assist him. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

Visit of Ojeda to the West End of the Island. — Con- 
spiracy of Moxica. [1499.] 

About this time, reports w^ere brought to Columbus, 
that four ships had anchored at the western part of the 
island, a little below .Ii^cquemel, apparently with the de- 
sign of cutting dye woods and carrying off the natives 
for slaves. They were commanded by Alonzo de Ojeda, 
the same hot-headed and bold-hearted cavalier who had 
distinguished himself by the capture of Caonabo. Know- 
ing the darmg and adventurous spirit of this man, the 
admiral was disturbed at his visiting the island in this clan- 
destine manner. To call him to account, however, re- 
quired a man of spirit and address. No one seemed 
fitter for the purpose than Roldan. He was as daring 



190 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

as Ojeda, and of a more crafty cliaracter. An expedi 
tion of this kind would occupy tlie attention of himsell 
and his jiartisans, and divert them from any schemes of 
mischief. 

Rohlaii ii;huily undertook the enterprise. He had 
nothing further to gain by sedition, and was anxious to 
secure his ill-gotten possessions by public services, which 
should atone for past offences. Departing from St. Do- 
mingo, with two caravels, he arrived, on the 26th of 
September, within two leagues of the harbor where the 
vessels of Ojeda were anchored. Here, landing with 
five and twenty resolute men, he intercepted Ojeda, who 
was on an excursion several leagues from his ships, and 
demanded his motives for landing on that remote and 
lonely part of the island, without lirst reporting his arrival 
to the admiral. Ojeda replied, that he had been on a 
voyage of discovery, and had put in there in distress, to 
repair his ships and obtain provisions. On further inqui- 
ry it appeared, that Ojeda had happened to be in Spain 
at the time that the letters arrived from Columbus, giving 
an account of his discovery of the coast of Paria, accom- 
panied by specimens of the pearls to be found there. 
Ojeda was a favorite with Bishop Fonseca, and obtained 
a sight of the letter, and the charts and maps of the route 
of Columbus. He immediately conceived the idea of an 
expedition to those parts, in which he was encouraged by 
Fonseca, who furnished him with copies of the papers 
and charts, and granted him a letter of license, signed by 
himself, but not by the sovereigns. Ojeda fitted out four 
ships at Seville, assisted by many eager and wealthy 
speculators; and in this squadron sailed Amerigo Ves- 
pucci, a Florentine merchant, well acquainted with geog- 
raphy and navigation, who eventually gave his name to 
the whole of the new world. The expedition sailed in 
jMay, 1499. The adventurers arrived on the southern 
continent, and ranged along it, from two hundred leagues 
east of the Orinoco to the gulf of Parla. Guided by the 
charts of Columbus, they passed through this gulf, and 
through the Boca del Drago, kept along westward to 
Cape de la Vela, visiting the island of Margarita, and the 



OF COLUMBUS. lUl 

adjacent continent, and discovering the gulf of Venezue- 
la. They had subsequently touched at the Caribbee 
Islands, where they had fought with the fierce natives, 
and made many captives, with the design of selling them 
in the slave markets of Seville. From thence, they had 
sailed for Ilispaniola, to procure supplies, having per- 
forined the most extensive voyage hitherto made along 
the shores of the new world. 

Ojeda assured Roldan that he intended, as soon as his 
ships were ready, to go to San Domingo and pay his 
homage to the admiral. Trusting to this assurance, and 
satisfied with the information he had obtained, Roldan 
sailed for San JJomingo to make his report. Xothing, 
however, was farther from the intention of Ojeda than to 
keep his promise. As soon as his ships were rearly for 
sea, he sailed round to the coast of Xaragua. Here he 
was well received by the Spaniards resident in that prov- 
ince, among whom were many of the late comrades of 
Roldan. Knowing the rash and fearless character of 
Ojeda, and finding that there were jealousies between 
him and the admiral, they made clamorous complaints 
of the injustice of the latter, whom they accused of 
withholding from them the arrears of their pay. Ojeda, 
who knew the tottering state of the admiral's favor at 
court, and felt secure in the powerful protection of 
Fonseca, immediately proposed to put himself at their 
head, march at once to San Domingo, and oblige the 
admiral to satisfy their just demands. The proj)Osition 
was received with transport by some of the rebels; 
but others demurred, and a furious brawl ensued, in 
which several were killed and wounded on both sides; 
the party for the expedition to San Domingo remained 
triumphant. 

Fortunately for the peace and safely of the admiral, 
Roldan, who had received news of the movements of 
Ojeda, arrived in the neighborhood at this critical junc- 
ture, with a band of resolute followers, and wasrecnforced 
on the following day by his old confederate, Diego de 
Escobar, with additional forces. Ojeda retired to his 
ships; a long course of manoeuvring took place between 



192 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

these well-matched adversaries, each striving to gain an 
advantage of the other. Ojeda at length was obliged to 
abandon the coast, and made sail for some other island, 
to make up his cargo of Indian slaves. 

The followers of Roldan took great merit to themselves 
for their unwonted loyalty in driving Ojeda from the 
island; and, like all reformed knaves, expected that 
their good conduct would be amply rewarded. Look- 
ing upon their leader as having every thing in his gift, they 
requested him to share among them the fine province of 
Cahay, adjoining to Xaragua. Roldan, who was now 
anxious to establish a character of adherence to the law, 
declined acceding to their wishes, until sanctioned by the 
admiral; but, to soothe their impatient rapacity, he shared 
among them the lands which had been granted to him in 
Xaragua. While he was remaining in this neighborhood, 
other troubles broke out, and from somewhat of a roman- 
tic cause. A young cavalier of noble family, named 
Hernando de Guevara, cousin to Adrian de Moxica, one 
of the ringleaders of the late rebellion, was banished from 
San Domingo for licentious conduct, and sent to Xaragua, 
to embark in the ships of Ojeda, but arrived after theii 
departure. He was treated with indulgence by Roldan, 
on account of his old comrade, Adrian de Moxica, and 
was favorably received at the house of the female cacique, 
Anacaona. That remarkable woman still retained her par- 
tiality to the Spaniards, notwithstanding the disgraceful 
scenes that had passed before her eyes. By iier late 
husband, Caonabo, she had a daughter, named Higuena- 
mota, just grown i"p, and greatly admired for her beauty. 
Guevara became enamored of her. He possessed an 
agreeable person, and winning manners, though he was 
headstrong in his passions, and destitute of principle. 
His endearments soon won the heart of the simple Indian 
girl. Anacaona, the mother, pleased with the gallant 
appearance and ingratiating manners of the youthfu. 
cavalier, favored his attachment; especially as he sought 
her daughter in marriage. Roldan was himself attached 
to the young Indian beauty, and jealous of her preference 
of his rival. He oxnted liis aiUlKirity to separate thp 



OF COLUMBUS 193 

lovers, and banished Guevara to the province of Cahay. 
The latter soon returned, and concealed himself in the 
dwelling of Anacaona. Being discovered, and finding 
Roldan implacable in his opposition to his passion, he 
now meditated revenge. He soon made a party among 
the old comrades of Roldan, who detested as a magis- 
trate the man they had idolized as a leader. It was 
concerted to rise suddenly upon him, and either to kill 
him or put out his eyes. The plot was discovered; 
Guevara was seized in the dwelling of Anacaona, in the 
presence of his intended bride; seven of his accomphces 
were likewise arrested, and the prisoners were sent to the 
fortress of San Domingo. 

When Adrian de Moxica heard that his cousin Guevara 
was arrested, and that too by his former confederate 
Roldan, he was highly exasperated. He hastened to the 
old haunt of rebellion, at Bonao, and claimed the coopera- 
tion of Pedro Reguelme, the newly-appointed alcalde. 
It was readily yielded. They went round among their 
late fellow-rebels who were settled in the vega, and had 
soon a daring body of reckless men, ready with horse and 
weapon, for any desperate enterprise. Moxica, in his 
fury, meditated not merely the rescue of his cousin, but 
the death of Roldan and the admiral. 

Columbus was at Fort Conception, with an inconsid- 
erable force, when he heard of this dangerous plot, con- 
certed in his very neighborhood. He saw that his safety 
depended upon prompt and vigorous measures. Taking 
with him but six or seven trusty servants, and three 
esquires, all well armed, he came suddenly upon the 
conspirators in the night, seized Moxica and several of 
his principal confederates, and bore them off to Fort Con- 
ception. Resolving to set an example that should strike 
terror into the factious, he ordered that Moxica should 
be hanged on the top of the fortress. The latter entreated 
to be allowed a confessor. A priest was sent for. The 
miserable culprit, who had been so daring in rebellion, 
lost all courage at the near approach of death. He de- 
layed, and hesitated in his confession, as if hoping, by 
ivhilins: away time, to give a chance for rescue. Instead 
17 " I. 



194 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

of confessing his own sins, he began to accuse others, 
until Columbus, losing all patience, in his mingled indig- 
nation and scorn, ordered the dastard wretch to be flung 
from the battlements. 

This sudden act of severity was promptly followed up. 
Pedro Reguelme was taken, with several of his compeers, 
in his rufiian-den at Bonao, and conveyed to the fortress 
of San Domingo. The conspirators fled for the most 
part to Xaragua, where they were pursued by the adelan- 
tado, seconded by Roldan, and hunted out of all their old 
retreats. Thus in a little while the power of faction was 
completely subdued. 

Columbus considered this happy event as brought 
about by the especial intervention of Heaven, and gives 
in proof of it an instance of one of those visionary fan- 
cies by which he seems to have been visited at times 
when his mind was distempered by illness or anxiety. 
In the preceding winter, during the height of his cares 
and troubles, he had sunk into a state of despondency. 
In one of his gloomy moods, he heard, he says, a voice 
which thus addressed him: "O man of little faith! fear 
nothing, be not cast down. I will provide for thee. 
The seven years of the term of gold are not expired.* 
In that and in all other things I will take care of thee." 
On that very day, he adds, he received intelligence of 
the discovery of a number of gold mines. The ima- 
ginary promise of Divine aid appeared to him still to be 
performing. The troubles and dangers which had sur- 
rounded him, were breaking away, and order was coming 
out of confusion. He now looked forward to the pros- 
ecution of his grand enterprises, the exploring the coast 
of Paria, and the establishment of a pearl fishery in its 
waters. How illusive were his hopes ! at this very 
moment those events were maturing, that were to over- 
whelm him with distress, strip him of his honors, and 
render him comparatively a wreck for the remainder of 
his days! 

* Alluding to his vow, tliat within seven years he would furnish an 
army for a crusade, from his share of the gold to be found in the new 
world. 



OF COLUMBUS. 195 



CHAPTER XXXIIl. 

Intrigues against Columbus in the Spanish Court. — 
Jlppointment of Bobadilla as Commissioner. — His 
Arrival at Sanifomingo. [1500.] 

While Columbus had been involved in a series ol 
difficulties in the factious island of Hispaniola, his ene- 
mies had been but too successful in undermining his 
reputation in the court of Spain. Every vessel that 
returned from the new world, came freighted with com- 
plaints, representing the character and conduct of Co- 
lumbus and his brothers in the most odious point of 
view, and reiterating the illiberal, but mischievous, insin- 
uation that they were foreigners, who had nothing but 
their own interest and gratification in view. It was 
even alleged that Columbus intended to cast off all alle- 
giance to Spain, and either to make himself sovereign of 
the countries he had discovered, or to yield them into 
the hands of some other power; a slander which, however 
extravagant, was calculated to startle the jealous mind of 
Ferdinand. The bishop Fonseca, and other enemies of 
Columbus who were about the court, having continual 
access to the sovereigns, were enabled to place every 
thing urged against him in the strongest point of view, 
while they destroyed the force of his vindications. They 
had a plausible logic by which to convict him of either 
bad management or bad faith. There was an incessant 
drain upon the mother country for the support of the 
colony. Was this compatible, they asked, with the 
extravagant pictures he had drawn of the wealth of the 
island, and its golden mountains, in which he had pre- 
tended to find the Ophir of ancient days, the source of 
the riches of King Solomon ? They inferred that he had 
•^ither deceived the sovereigns by exaggerations, or 



196 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

grossly wronged them by malpractices, or that he was 
totally incapable of the duties of government. 

For the purpose of irritating the pride of the king, 
every repining man who returned from the colony, was 
encouraged to put in claims for arrears of pay withheld 
by Columbus, or losses sustained in his service. A gang 
of the disorderly ruffians, who had been shipped oti" to 
free the island from their seditions, found their way to 
the court at Granada. They followed the king when he 
rode out, filling the air with complaints, and clamoring 
for their pay. About fifty of them assembled one day, 
in the main court of the Alhambra, under the royal 
apartments, holding up bunches of grapes, as the meager 
diet to which they were reduced by their poverty, and 
by the cruel deceits of Columbus. Seeing the two sons 
of the admiral pass by, who were pages to the queen, 
they followed them with imprecations. " There go," 
cried they, "the whelps of him who discovered the 
land of vanity and delusion, the grave of Spanish hi- 
dalgos!" 

The incessant repetition of falsehood will gradually 
wear its way into the most candid mind. Isabella her- 
self began to entertain doubts respecting the conduct of 
Columbus. If he and his brothers were upright, they 
might be injudicious ; and mischief is oftener produced 
in government through error of judgement than iniquity 
of design. Isabella doubted, but the jealous Ferdinand 
felt convinced. He had never regarded Columbus with 
real cordiality, and ever since he had ascertained the 
importance of his discoveries, had regretted the extensive 
powers he had vested in his hands. He now resolved 
to send out some person to investigate the affairs of the 
colony, and, if necessary for its safety, to assume the 
command. This measure had actually been decided 
upon, and the papers drawn out, early in 1499; but, from 
various reasons, had been postponed. It is probable 
Isabella opposed so harsh a step against a man for whom 
she entertained an ardent gratitude and high admiration. 
The arrival of the ships with the late followers of Roldan, 
brought matters to a crisis. The king listened entirely 



OF COLUMBUS. 197 

to the representations of the rebels, and a circumstance 
took place, which, for a time, suspended the friendship 
of Isabella, the great safeguard of Columbus. 

The followers of Roldan brought with them a number 
of slaves, some of which Columbus had been compelled 
to grant them by the articles of capitulation, others had 
been conveyed away clandestinely. Among them were 
several daughters of caciques, who had been seduced 
from their homes by these profligates. Some were in a 
state of pregnancy, others had new-born infants. The 
gifts and transfers of these unhappy beings were all rep 
resented as voluntary acts of Columbus. The sensibility 
of Isabella as a woman, and her dignity as a queen, were 
instantly in arms. "What right," exclaimed she, indig- 
nantly, "has the admiral to give away my vassals?" 
She immediately ordered all the Indians to be re- 
stored to their homes nay, more, she commanded that 
those which had formerly been sent to Spain by the 
admiral, should be sought out and reshipped to Hispani- 
ola. Unfortunately for Columbus, at this very juncture, 
in one of his letters, he advised the continuance of Indian 
slavery for some time longer, as a measure important to 
the welfare of the colony. This contributed to heighten 
the indignation of Isabella, and induced her no longer to 
oppose the sending out a commissioner to investigate his 
conduct, and, if necessary, to supersede him in com- 
mand. 

The person chosen for this most momentous office, 
was Don Francisco de Bobadilla, an officer of the royal 
household, and a commander of the military and religious 
order of Calatrava. He is represented by some as a 
very honest and religious man ; by others, and with ap- 
parent justice, as needy, passionate, and ambitious, three 
powerful objections to his acting as judge in a case where 
the utmost caution and candor were required, and where 
he was to derive wealth and power from the conviction 
of one of the parties. 

Bobadilla arrived at San Domingo on the 23d of 
August, 1500. Before entering the harbor, he learnt 
from a canoe which came off from the shore, that the 
17* 



198 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

admiral and the adelantado were absent in the interior ol 
the island, and Don Diego in command. He was told 
of the recent insurrection of Moxica, and the punishments 
which had followed. Seven of the rebels had been 
hanged that week, and five more were in the fortress of 
San Domingo, condemned to suffer the same fate. 
Among these were Pedro Reguelme, the factious alcalde 
of Bonao, and Fernando de Guevara, the young cavalier 
whose passion for the daughter of Anacaona, had been 
the original cause of the rebellion. As the vessels en- 
tered the river, Bobadilla beheld on either bank a gibbet, 
with the body of a Spaniard hanging on it. He consid- 
ered all these circumstances as conclusive proofs of the 
alleged cruelty of Columbus. 

Ihe report had already circulated in the city, that a 
commissioner had arrived to make inquisition into the 
late troubles. Many hastened on board the ship to pay 
early court to this public censor; and as those who sought 
to secure his favor, were those who had most to fear 
from his scrutiny, it is evident that the nature of their 
communications was generally unfavorable to the admi 
ral. In fact, before Bobadilla landed, if not before he 
arrived, the culpability of the admiral was decided in his 
mind. He acted accordingly. He made proclamation 
at the church door, in presence of Don Diego and the 
other persons in authority, of his letters patent, author- 
izing him to investigate the rebellion, and proceed against 
delinquents; and in virtue of these, he demanded that 
Guevara, Reguelme, and the other prisoners, should be 
delivered up to him, with the depositions taken in their 
cases. 

Don Diego declared he could do nothing of the kind 
without the authority of the admiral, and requested a 
copy of the letters patent, that he might send it to his 
brother. This Bobadilla refused, and added, that since 
the office he proclaimed appeared to have no weight, he 
would try what efficacy there was in the name of gov- 
ernor. On the following day, therefore, he had another 
royal patent read, investing him with the government of 
the islands, and of Terra Firma ; an authority which he 



OF COLUMBUS. 199 

was only to have assumed on absolute proof of the delin- 
quency of Columbus. This letter being read, he again 
demanded the prisoners, and was again refused ; Don 
Diego observing, that, they were held in obedience to the 
admiral, to whom the sovereigns had granted letters of a 
higher nature. 

Bobadilla now produced a mandate from the crown, 
ordering Columbus and his brothers to deliver up all for- 
tresses, ships, and other royal property ; and another, 
ordering that the arrears of wages due to all persons in the 
royal service should be immediately paid, and the admiral 
compelled to pay the arrears of those to whom he was 
individually accountable. 

This last document was received with shouts by the 
multitude, to many of whom long arrears were due, in 
consequence of the poverty of the treasury. Flushed 
with his growing importance and popularity, Bobadilla 
again demanded the prisoners, and receiving the same 
reply, he proceeded to the fortress, and made a formal 
demand of them of the alcayde Miguel Diaz. The lat- 
ter refused to surrender them to any one but the admiral. 
Upon this, the whole spirit of Bobadilla was aroused. 
He assembled the sailors of the ships, and the rabble of 
the place, marched them to the prison, broke open the 
door, which readily gave way, while some of his myr- 
midons put up ladders to scale the walls. The alcayde 
Miguel Diaz, and Don Diego de Alvarado, appeared on 
the battlements with drawn swords, but offered no re- 
sistance. The fortress, having no garrison, was easily 
carried, and the prisoners were borne off in triumph, and 
given in custody to an alguazil. 

Such was the entrance into office of Francisco de 
Bobadilla, and he continued his career in the same spirit, 
acting as if he had been sent out to degrade the admiral, 
not to inquire into his conduct. He took up his resi- 
dence in ihe house of Columbus, seized upon his arms, 
gold, plate, jewels, horses, books, letters, and most se- 
cret mansucripts, giving no account of the property thus 
seized, paying out of it the wages of those to whom the 
admiral was in arrears, and disposing of the rest as if 



200 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

already confiscated to the crown. To increase his favor 
with the people, he proclaimed a general license for 
twenty years, to seek for gold, exacting merely one 
eleventh for government, instead of a third as heretofore. 
At the same time, he used the most unqualified language 
in speaking of Columbus, hinted that he was empowered 
to send him home in chains, and declared, that neither 
he, nor any of his lineage, would ever again be permitted 
to govern the Island. 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

Columbus arrested and sent to Spain. [1500.] 

When Columbus received tidings at Fort Concep'ion 
of the high-handed proceedings of Bobadilla, he cohmJ- 
ered them the unauthorized act of some rash adventurer; 
but the proclamation of his letters patent, which imme- 
diately took place throughout the Island, soon convinced 
him he was acting under authority. He endeavored then 
to persuade himself that Bobadilla was sent out to exer 
cise the functions of chief judge, in compliance with the 
request contained in one of his own letters to the sev- 
er 3igns, and that he was perhaps intrusted with pro- 
visional powei-s to inquire into the late troubles of the 
island. All beyond these powers, he tried to believe 
were mere assumptions, and exaggerations of authority, 
as in the case of Aguado. His consciousness of his own 
services and integrity, and his faith in the justice of the 
sovereigns, forbade him to think otherwise. He pro- 
ceeded to act on this idea ; writing temperate and con- 
ciliatory letters to Bobadilla, cautioning him against his 
precipitate measures, while he endeavored by counter 
proclamations to prevent the mischief he was producing 
Messengers soon arrived, however, who delivered to him 
a royal letter of credence, commanding him to give im* 



OF COLUMBUS. 201 

plicit faith and obedience to Bobadilla, and they gave him^ 
at the same time, a summons from the latter to appear 
before him immediately at San Domingo. This laconic 
letter from the sovereigns struck at once at the root of 
his dignity and power; he made no longer any hesitation 
or demur, but departed alone and almost unattended, to 
obey the peremptory summons of Bobadilla. The lat- 
ter, in the mean time, had made a bustle of preparation, 
and mustered the troops, affecting to believe a vulgar 
rumor, that Columbus had called on the caciques of the 
vega, to aid him in resisting the commands of the gov- 
ernment. He moreover arrested Don Diego, threw 
him in irons, and confined him on board of a caravel, 
without assigning any cause for his imprisonment. 

No sooner did he hear of the arrival of Columbus, than 
he gave orders to put him also in irons, and to confine 
him in the fortress. 

This outrage to a person of such dignified and venera- 
ble appearance, and such eminent merit, seemed for a 
time to shock even his enemies. When the irons were 
brought, every one present shrunk from the task of put- 
ting them on him, either out of a sentiment of compas- 
sion at so great a reverse of fortune, or out of habitual 
reverence for his person. To fill the measure of ingrati- 
tude meted out to him, it was one of his own servants 
that volunteered to rivet his fetters. 

Columbus conducted himself with characteristic mag- 
nanimity under the injuries heaped upon him. There is 
a noble scorn which swells and supports the heart, and 
silences the tongue of the truly great, when enduring the 
■nsults of the unworthy. Columbus could not stoop to 
deprecate the arrogance of a weak and violent man like 
Bobadilla. He looked beyond this shallow agent, and 
all his petty tyranny, to the sovereigns who had employed 
him. It was their injustice and ingratitude alone that 
could wound his spirit; and he felt assured that when the 
truth came to be known, they would blush to find how 
greatly they had wronged him. With this proud assur- 
ance, he bore all present indignities in silence. He even 
wrote, at the demand of Bobadilla, a letter to the adel.in' 



202 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

tado, who was still in Xaragua, at the head of an armed 
force, exhorting him to submit quietly to the will of the 
sovereigns. Don Bartholomew immediately complied. 
Relinquishing his command, he hastened peacefully to 
San Domingo, and on arriving, experienced the same 
treatment with his brothers, being put in irons, and con- 
fined on board of a caravel. They were kept separate 
from each other, and no communication permitted between 
them. Bobadilla did not see them himself, nor did he 
allow others to visit them; and they were kept in total 
ignorance of the crimes with which they were charged, 
and the proceedings that were instituted against them. 

The old scenes of the time of Aguado were now re- 
newed, with tenfold virulence. All the old charges were 
revived, and others added, still more extravagant in their 
nature. Columbus was accused of having prevented the 
conversion of the Indians, that they might be sold as 
slaves. With having secreted pearls collected on the 
coast of Paria, and kept the sovereigns in ignorance of 
the nature of his discoveries there, in order to exact new 
privileges from them. Even the late tumults were turned 
into matters of accusation, and the rebels admitted as 
evidence. The well-merited punishments inflicted upon 
certain of the ringleaders were cited as proofs of a cruel 
ind revengeful disposition, and a secret hatred of Span- 
iards. Guevara, Reguelme, and their fellow-convicts, 
were discharged almost without the form of a trial. Rol- 
dan, from the very first, had been treated with confidence 
by Bobadilla; all the others, whose conduct had rendered 
them liable to justice, received either a special acquittal 
or a general pardon. 

Bobadilla had now collected testimony sufficient, as he 
thought, to insure the condemnation of the prisoners, 
and his own continuance in command. He determined, 
therefore, to send home the admiral and his brothers in 
chains, in the vessels which were ready for sea, with the 
inquest taken in their case, and private letters enforcing 
the charges made against them. 

San Domingo now swarmed with miscreants, just de- 
livered from the dungeon and the gibbet. Every base 



OF COLUMBUS. 203 

spirit which had been overawed by Columbus and his 
brothers, when in power, now hastened to revenge itself 
upon them when in chains. The most injurious slanders 
were loudly proclaimed in the streets, pasquinades and 
libels were posted up at the corners, and horns blown in 
the neighborhood of their prisons, to taunt them with the 
exultings of the rabble. • 

The charge ^A' conducting the prisoners to Spain, vvas 
given to Alonzo de Villejo, an officer who was in the 
employ of Bishop Fonseca. He was instructed, on ar- 
riving at Cadiz, to deliver his prisoners into the hands of 
the bishop, which circumstance has caused a belief that 
Fonseca was the secret instigator of all these violent 
proceedings. Villejo, however, was a man of honorable 
character, and generous feelings, and showed himself 
superior to the low malignity of his patrons. When he 
arrived with a guard to conduct the admiral from the 
prison to the ship, he found him in chains in a state of 
deep despondency. So violently had he been treated, 
and so savage were the passions let loose against him, 
he had begun to fear he should be sacrificed without an 
opportunity of being heard, and that his name would go 
down to posterity sullied with imputed crimes. 

When the officer entered with the guard, he thought 
it was to conduct him to the scaffold. "Villejo," said 
he, mournfully, " whither are you taking me.'"' " To the 
ship, your excellency, to embark," replied the other. 
" To embark!" repeated the admiral, earnestly. " Vil- 
lejo, do you speak the truth?" "By the life of your 
excellency,'" replied the honest officer, "it is true!" 
With these words the admiral was comforted, and felt as 
one restored from death to life. 

The caravels set sail early in October, bearing off Co- 
lumbus, shackled like the vilest of culprits, amidst the 
scoffs and shouts of a miscreant rabble, who took a bru- 
tal joy in heaping insults on bis venerable head, and sent 
curses after him from the island he had so recently added 
to the civilized world. Fortunately the voyage was fa- 
vorable and of moderate duration, and was rendered less 
irksome to Columbus, by the conduct of those to whom 



'204 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

he was given in custody. The worthy Villejo, as well 
as Andreas Martin, the master of the caravel, felt deeply 
grieved ?t his situation, and always treated him with pro- 
found respect and assiduous attention. They would have 
taken off his irons, but to this he would not consent. 
"No," said he, proudly, "their majesties commanded 
ine by letter to submit to whatever Bobadilla should or- 
der in their name; by their authority he has put upon me 
these chains; I will wear them until they shall order them 
to be taken ofF, and I will afterwards preserve them as 
relics and memorials of the reward of my services." 

" He did so," adds his son Fernando, in his history; 
" I saw them always hanging in his cabinet, and he 
requested that when he died they might be buried with 
him!" 



CHAPTER XXXV 



Arrival of Columbus in Spain. — His Interview with tne 
Sovereigns. — Appointment of Ovando to the Govern- 
ment of Hispaniola. [1500.] 

The arrival of Columbus at Cadiz, a prisoner, and in 
chains, produced almost as great a sensation as his tri- 
umphant return from his first voyage. A general burst of 
indignation arose in Cadiz, and in the powerful and opu- 
lent Seville, which was immediately echoed throughout 
all Spain. No one stopped to reason on the subject. It 
was sufficient to be told that Columbus was brought home 
in chains from the world he had discovered. 

The tidings reached the court of Granada, and filled 
the halls of the Alhambra with murmurs of astonishment. 
On the arrival of the ships at Cadiz, Andreas INIartin, the 
captain, had permitted Columbus to send off letters pri- 
vately by express. The admiral, full of his wrongs, but 



OF COLUMBUS. 205 

Ignorant how far they had been authorized by the sover- 
eigns, forbore to write to them. He sent a long letter, 
however, to a lady of the court, high in favor with the 
queen, and who had been nurse to Prince Juan. It con- 
tained an ample vindication of his conduct, couched in 
eloquent and dignified and touching language. When it 
was read to the noble-minded Isabella, and she found how 
grossly Columbus had been wronged, and the royal au- 
thority abused, her heart was filled with mingled sympa- 
thy and indignation. 

However Ferdinand might have secretly felt disposed 
against Columbus, the momentary tide of public sentiment 
was not to be resisted. He joined with his generour 
queen, in her reprobation of the treatment of the admiral 
Without waiting to receive any documents that might 
arrive from Bobadilla, they sent orders to Cadiz that the 
prisoners should be instantly set at liberty, and treated 
with all distinction, and that two thousand ducats should 
be advanced to Columbus to defray the expenses of his 
journey to court. They wrote him a letter at the same 
lime, expressing their grief at all that he had suffered, and 
inviting him to Granada. 

The loyal heart of Columbus was cheered by this letter 
from his sovereigns. He appeared at court, not as a man 
ruined and disgraced, but richly dressed, and with an 
honorable retinue. He was received by their majesties 
with unqualified favor and distinction. When the queen 
beheld this venerable man approach, and thought on all 
he had deserved, and all that he had sufi^ered, she was 
moved to tears. Columbus had borne up firmly against 
the stern conflicts of the world ; he had endured with 
lofty scorn the injuries and insults of ignoble men, but 
he possessed strong and quick sensibility. When he 
found himself thus kindly received, and beheld tears in 
the benign eyes of Isabella, his long suppressed feelings 
burst forth ; he threw himself upon his knees, and for 
some time could not utter a word for the violence of his 
tears and sobbings. 

Ferdinand and Isabella raised him from the ground, and 
endeavored to encourage him by the most gracious expres- 
18 I. 



206 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

sions. As soon as he regained his self-possession, he 
entered into an eloquent and high-minded vindication ofhis 
loyalty, and the zeal he had ever felt for the glory and ad- 
vantage of the Spanish crown ; if, at any time, he had 
erred, it had been, he said, through inexperience in the 
art of governing, and through the extraordinary difficulties 
by which he had been surrounded. 

There was no need of vindication on his part. He 
stood in the presence of his sovereigns a deeply-injured 
man, and it remained for them to vindicate themselves to 
the world, from the charge of ingratitude towards their 
most deserving subject. They expressed their indigna- 
tion at the proceedings of Bobadilla, which they disa- 
vowed, as contrary to his instructions ; they promised 
that he should be immediately dismissed from his com- 
mand, and Columbus reinstated in all his privileges and 
dignities, and indemnified for the losses he had sustained. 
The latter expected, of course, to be immediately sent 
back in triumph to San Domingo, as viceroy and admiral 
of the Indies; but in this he was doomed to experience 
a disappointment, which threw a gloom over the remain- 
der of his days. The fact was, that Ferdinand, how 
ever he may have disapproved of the violence of Boba- 
dilla, was secretly well pleased with its effects. It had 
produced a temporary exclusion of Columbus from his 
high offices, and the politic monarch determined, in his 
heart, that he fjhould never be restored to them. He 
had long repented having vested such great powers and 
prerogatives in any subject, particularly in a foreigner ; 
but at the time of granting them, he had no idea of the 
extent of the countries over which they would be exer- 
cised. Recent discoveries, made by various individuals, 
showed them to be almost boundless. Vicente Yafiez 
Pinzon, one of the brave and intelligent family of naviga- 
tors that had sailed with Columbus in his first voyage, had 
lately crossed the line, and explored the shores of the 
southern continent, as far as Cape St. Augustine. Diego 
Lepe, another bold navigator of Palos, had doubled that 
cape, and beheld the continent stretching away out of 
sight, to the southwest, Tjie report of every discoverer 



OF COLUMBUS. 207 

put it beyond a doubt, tbat these countries must be 
inexhaustible in wealth, as they appeared to be boundless 
in extent. Yet over all these Columbus was to be vice 
roy, with a share in their productions, and the profits of 
their trade, that must yield him an incalculable revenue. 
The selfish monarch appeared almost to consider himself 
outwitted in the arrangement he had made ; and every 
new discovery, instead of increasing his feeling of grati- 

nde to Columbus, seemed only to make him repine at 

he growing magnitude of his reward. 
Another grand consideration with the monarch was, 

hat Columbus was no longer indispensable to him. He 

lad made his great discovery ; he had struck out the 
route to the new world, and nowany one could follow 
it. A number of able navigators had sprting up under 
his auspices, who were daily besieging tlie throne with 
offers to fit out expeditions at their own cost, and to yield 
n share of the profits to the crown. Wliy should he, 
therefore, confer princely dignities and prerogatives for 
•hat, which men were daily offering to perform gratui- 
.ously ? 

Such, from his after conduct, appears to have been the 
•ealous and selfish policy which actuated Ferdinand in 
lorbearing to reinstate Columbus in those dignities and 
privileges which had been solemnly granted to him by 
treaty, and which it was acknowledged he had never 
forfeited by misconduct. Plausible reasons, however, 
were given for delaying his reappointment. It was ob-' 
served, that the elements of those factions, which had 
recently been in arms, yet existed in the Island, and 
might produce fresh troubles, should Columbus return 
immediately. It was represented as advisable, therefore, 
to send some officer of talent and discretion to supersede 
Bobadilla, and to hold the government for two years, by 
which time all angry passions would be allayed, and tur- 
bulent individuals removed. Columbus might then resume 
the command, with comfort to himself, and advantage to 
the crown. With this arrangement the admiral was obliged 
to content himself, 



208 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

The person chosen to supersede Bobadilla, was Don 
Nicholas de Ovando, commander of Lares, of the order 
of Alcantara. He is described as being of the middle 
size, with a fair complexion, a red beard, a modest look, 
yet a tone of authority ; fluent in speech, courteous in 
manners, prudent, just, temperate, and of great humility. 
Such is the picture drawn of him by some of his con- 
temporaries ; yet he appears, from his actions, to have 
been plausible and subtle, as well as fluent and courteous; 
his humility concealed a great love of command; he was 
a merciless scourge to the Indians, and in his dealings 
with Columbus he was both ungenerous and unjust. 

While the departure of Ovando was delayed by vari- 
ous circumstances, every arrival brought intelligence of 
the disastrous state of the Island, under the administration 
of Bobadilla. The latter was not so much a bad, as an 
imprudent and a weak man. Imagining rigorous rule to 
be the rock on which his predecessor had split, he had, 
at the very outset, relaxed the reins of justice and mo 
rality, and, of course, had lost all command over the 
community. In a little while such disorder and licen- 
tiousness ensued, that many, even of the opponents of 
Columbus, looked back with regret to the strict but 
wholesome rule of himself and the adelantado. 

One dangerous indulgence granted to the colonists 
called for another, and each was ceded, in its turn, by 
Bobadilla. He sold the farms and estates of the crown 
at low prices, and granted universal permission to work 
the mines, on paying only an eleventh of the produce to 
government. To prevent any diminution in the revenues, 
it became necessary to increase the quantity of gold col- 
lected. He enforced, therefore, the repartimientos, by 
which the caciques were obliged to furnish parties of their 
subjects to work for the Spaniards in the field and in the 
mine. To carry these into more complete eflect, he 
made an enumeration of the natives of the Island, reduced 
them into classes, and distributed them, according to his 
favor or caprice, among the colonists. His constant 
exhortation to the Spaniards was, to produce large quan- 
tities of gold. " Make the most of your time," he would 



OF COLUMBUS. 209 

say, " there is no knowing how long it will last;" illuding 
lo the possibility of his being speedily recalled The 
colonists acted up to his advice, and so hard did they 
drive the poor natives, that the eleventh yielded more 
revenue than had ever been produced by the third, under 
the government of Columbus. In the mean time, the 
unhappy Indians sunk under the toils imposed upon them, 
and the severities by which they were enforced. A ca- 
pricious tyranny was exercised over them by worthless 
men, numbers of whom had been transported convicts 
from the dungeons of Castile. These wretches assumed 
the tone of grand cavaliers, and insisted upon being 
attended by trains of servants; they took the daughters 
and female relatives of caciques for their servants or 
their concubines. In travelling, they obliged the natives 
to transport them on their shoulders in litters or ham- 
mocks, while others held umbrellas of palm leaves over 
their heads, and cooled them with fans of feathers. Some- 
times the backs and shoulders of the unfortunate Indians 
who bore the litters were raw and bleeding from the task. 
When these arrogant upstarts arrived at an Indian village, 
they capriciously seized upon and lavished the provisions 
of the inhabitants, and obliged the cacique and his subjects 
to dance for their amusement. They never addressed 
the natives but in the most degrading terms; and for the 
least offence, or in a mere freak of ill humor, they would 
inflict blows and lashes, and even death itself. 

The tidings of these abuses, and of the wrongs of the 
natives, grieved the spirit of Isabella, and induced her 
to urge the departure of Ovando. He was empowered 
to assume the command immediately on his arrival, and 
to send home Bobadilla by the return fleet. Hispaniola 
was to be the metropolis of the colonial government, 
which was to extend over the islands and Terra Firma. 
Ovando was to correct the late abuses, to revoke the 
improper licenses granted by Bobadilla, to lighten the 
burdens imposed upon the Indians, and to promote their 
religious instruction. He was, at the same time, to as- 
certain the injury sustained by Columbus in his late arrest 
and imprisonment, and the arrears of revenue that were 
18* 



210 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

due to him, that he might receive ample redress and 
compensation. The admiral was to be allowed a resident 
agent in the island, to attend to his affairs and guard his 
interests, to which office Columbus immediately appointed 
Alonzo Sanchez de Carvajal. 

Among various decrees on this occasion, we find the 
first trace of negro slavery in the new world. It was 
permitted to transport to the colony negro slaves born in 
Spain, the children and descendants of natives brought 
from Guinea, where the slave trade had for some time 
been carried on by the Spaniards and Portuguese. — 
There are signal events in the course of history, which 
sometimes bear the appearance of temporal judgements. 
It is a fact worthy of observation, that Hispaniola, the 
place where this flagrant sin against nature and humanity 
was first introduced into the new world, has been the 
first to exhibit an instance of awful retribution. 

The fleet appointed to convey Ovando to his govern 
ment put to sea on the 13th of February, 1502. It was 
the largest armament that had yet sailed to the new world, 
consisting of thirty sail, of various sizes, provided with 
all kinds of supplies for the colony. Twenty-five hun- 
dred souls embarked in this fleet, many of them persons 
of rank, with their families. Ovando was allowed a bril- 
liant retinue, a body guard of horsemen, and the use of 
silks, brocades, and precious stones, at that time forbid- 
den by the sumptuary laws of Spain. Such was the 
style in which a favorite of Ferdinand, a native subject 
of rank, was fitted out to enter upon the government with- 
held from Columbus. 



OF COLUMBUS. 211 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 

Proposition of Columbus for a Crusade. — His Prepara- 
tions for a fourth Voyage. [1500 — 1501.] 

Columbus remained in the city of Granada upwards 
of nine months, awaiting employment, and endeavoring 
to retrieve his affairs from the confusion into which they 
had been thrown. During this gloomy period, he called 
to mind his vow to furnish, within seven years from the 
time of his discovery of the new world, an army of fifty 
thousand foot and five thousand horse, for the recovery 
of the holy sepulchre. The time had elapsed, the vow 
remained unfulfilled, and the expected treasures that were 
to pay the army had never been realized. Destitute, 
therefore, of the means of accomplishing his pious pur- 
pose, he considered it his duty to incite the sovereigns 
to the enterprise; and he felt emboldened to do so, from 
having originally proposed it as the great object to which 
the profits of his discoveries should be directed. He 
set to work, therefore, with his accustomed zeal, to pre- 
pare arguments for the purpose. Aided by a Carthusian 
friar, he collected into a manuscript volume all the pas- 
sages in the Sacred Scriptures and in the writings of the 
Fathers, which he conceived to contain mystic portents 
and prophecies of the discovery of the new world, the 
conversion of the Gentiles, and the recovery of the holy 
sepulchre; three great events which he considered des- 
tined to succeed each other, and to be accomplished 
through his agency. He prepared, at the same time, a 
long letter to the sovereigns, written with his usual fervor 
of spirit and simplicity of heart, urging them to set on 
foot a crusade for the conquest of Jerusalem. It is a 
singular composition, which lays open the visionary part 
of his character, and shows the mystic and speculative 



il2 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

reading with which he was accustomed to nurture his 
solemn and soaring imagination.* 

It must be recollected that this was a scheme medi- 
tated in melancholy and enthusiastic moods, in the courts 
of the Alhambra, among the splendid remains of Moorish 
grandeur, where, but a few years before, he had beheld 
the standard of the faith elevated in triumph above the 
symbols of infidelity. It was in unison with the temper 
of the times, when the cross and sword frequently went 
together, and religion was made the pretext for the most 
desolating wars. Whether Columbus ever presented 
this book to the sovereigns is uncertain; it is probable 
that he did not, as his thoughts suddenly returned, with 
renewed ardor, to their wonted channels, and he con- 
ceived a leading object for another enterprise of discov- 
ery. 

Vasco de Gama had recently accomplished the long 
attempted navigation to India by the Cape of Good 
Hope, and Pedro Alvarez Cabral, following in his track, 
had returned with his vessels laden with the precious 
merchandise of the East. The riches of Calicut were 
now the theme of every tongue. The discoveries of the 
savage regions of the new world had as yet brought but 
little revenue to Spain, but this route to the East Indies 
was pouring in immediate wealth upon Portugal. 

Columbus was roused to emulation, and trusted he 
could discover a route to those oriental regions more 
easy and direct than that of Vasco de Gama. Accord- 
ing to his own observations, and the reports of other 
navigators, the coast of Terra Firma stretched far to the 
westward. The southern coast of Cuba, which he con- 
sidered a part of the Asiatic continent, stretched onward 
towards the same point. The currents of the Caribbean 
Sea must pass between these lands. He was persuaded, 
therefore, that a strait must exist somewhere thereabout, 
opening into the Indian Sea. The situation in which he 
placed his conjectural strait was somewhere about what 

♦The manuscript volume, including the letter, still exists in the Co- 
lumbian library of the cathedral of Seville, and has been inspected 
with great interest by the writiir of this history. 



OF COLUMBUS. 213 

is at present called the Isthmus of Darien. Could he 
but discover such a passage, and thus link the new world 
he had discovered, with the opulent oriental countries of 
the old, he felt that he should make a magnificent close 
to his labors. 

He unfolded his plan to the sovereigns, and, though it 
met with some narrow-minded opposition on the part of 
certain of the royal counsellors, it was promptly adopted, 
and he was empowered to fit out an armament to carry it 
into effect. He accordingly departed for Seville in the 
autumn of 1501, to make the necessary preparations; but 
such were the delays caused by the artifices of Fonseca 
and his agents, that it was not until the following month 
of May that he was able to put to sea. 

Before sailing, he took measures to provide against 
any misfortune that might happen to himself in so distant 
and perilous an expedition. He caused copies to be 
made and authenticated, of all the royal letters patent of 
his dignities and privileges; of his letter to the nurse of 
Prince Juan, containing a vindication of his conduct; and 
of two letters assigning to the Bank of St. George, at 
Genoa, a tenth of his revenues, to be employed in dimin- 
ishing the duties on provisions in his native city. These 
two sets of documents he sent by different hands to his 
friend. Doctor Nicolo Odorigo, who had been Genoese 
ambassador to the court of Spain, requesting him to de- 
posit them in some safe place at Genoa, and to apprize 
his son Diego of the same. 

He wrote also to Pope Alexander the Seventh, mention- 
ing his vow to furnish an army for a crusade, but inform- 
ing him of his being prevented from fulfilling it by being 
divested of his government. He promised his Holiness, 
however, on his return from his present voyage, to repair 
immediately to Rome, and render him an account of all 
his expeditions. 



214 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 



CHAPTER XXXVIl. 

Columbus sails on Ins fourth Voyage. — Events at the 
Island of Tlispaniola. — His Search after an imaginary 
Strait. [1502.] 

Age was rapidly making its advances upon Columbus, 
when he undertook his fourth voyage of discovery. He 
was now about sixty-six years old. His constitution, 
originally vigorous in the extreme, had been impaired by 
hardships and exposures in every clime, and by the men- 
tal sufferings he had undergone. His intellectual powers 
alone retained their wonted energy, prompting him, at a 
period of life when most men seek repose, to sally forth, 
with youthful ardor, on the most toilsome and adventur- 
ous of enterprises. In this arduous voyage, he was ac- 
companied by his brother Don Bartholomew, v.ho com- 
manded one of the vessels, and by his son Fernando, 
then in his fourteenth year. 

Columbus sailed from Cadiz on the 9th of May, 1502. 
His squadron consisted of four caravels, the largest of 
but seventy tons burden, the smallest of fifty; the crews 
amounted in all to one hundred and fifty men. With 
this little armament, and these slender barks, he under- 
took the search after a strait, which, if found, must con- 
duct him into the most remote seas, and lead to a com- 
plete circumnavigation of the globe. After touching at 
the Canaries, he had a prosperous voyage to the Caribbee 
Islands, arriving on the 15th of June, at Mantinino, at 
present called Martinique. He had originally intended 
to steer to Jamaica, and from thence for the continent, in 
search of the supposed strait; but one of his vessels prov- 
ing a dull sailer, he bore away for Hispaniola, to ex- 
change it for one of the fleet which had recently taken 
out Ovando. This was contrary to his orders, which 
had expressly forbidden him to touch at Hispaniola unti3 



OP COLUMBUS. 215 

his I'otuni homewards, lest his presence should cause 
some agitation in the Island ; he trusted, however, the 
circumstances of the case would plead his excuse. 

Columbus arrived off the harbor of San Domingo at 
an unpropitious moment. The place was filled with the 
most virulent of his enemies, many of whom were in a 
high state of exasperation from recent proceedings which 
had taken place against them. The fleet which had 
brought out Ovando lay in the harbor, ready to put to 
sea; and was to take out Roldan, and many of his late 
adherents, some of whom were under arrest, and to be 
tried in Spain. Bobadilla was to embark in the princi- 
pal ship, on board of which he had put an immense 
amount of gold, the revenue collected for the government 
during his administration, and which he confidently ex- 
pected would atone for all his faults. Among the pres- 
ents he intended for the sovereigns was one mass of 
virgin gold, which is famous in the old Spanish chroni- 
cles. It was said to weigh three thousand six hundred 
castillanos. Large quantities of gold had also been 
shipped in the fleet by the followers of Roldan, and other 
adventurers; the wealth gained by the sufferings of the 
unhappy natives. 

It was on the 29th of June, that Columbus arrived at 
the mouth of the river, and sent an officer on shore to 
explain to the governor the purpose of his visit; he re- 
quested permission, moreover, to shelter his squadron in 
the river, as he apprehended an approaching storm. His 
request was refused by Ovando, who probably had orders 
from the sovereigns to that effect, and perhaps was Tur- 
ther swayed by prudent considerations. Columbus then 
sent a second message, entreating that the sailing of the 
fleet might be delayed, as there were indubitable signs of 
an approaching tempest. This request was as fruitless 
as the preceding; the weather, to an inexperienced eye, 
was fair and tranquil, and the warning of the admiral 
was treated with ridicule, as the prediction of a false 
prophet. 

Columbus retired from the river, indignant at being 
denied relief, and refused shelter, in the very Island which 



216 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

he had discovered. His crew murmured loudly at being 
excluded from a port of their own nation, where even 
strangers, under similar circumstances,, would be admit- 
ted ; and they repined at having embarked with a com- 
mander who was liable to such treatment. Columbus, 
feeling confident that a storm was at hand, kept his feeble 
squadron close to shore, and sought for shelter in some 
wild bay or river of the Island. 

In the mean time, the fleet of Bobadilla set sail from 
San Domingo, and stood out confidently to sea. Within 
two days, the predictions of Columbus were verified. 
One of those tremendous storms which sometimes sweep 
those latitudes, had gradually gathered up and begun to 
blow. The little squadron of Columbus remained for a 
time tolerably well sheltered by the land, but the tem- 
pest increasing, and the night coming on, with unusual 
darkness, the ships lost sight of each other, and were 
separated. The admiral still kept close to the shore, 
and sustained no damage. The three other vessels ran 
out for searoom, and for several days were driven about 
at the mercy of wind and wave, fearful each moment of 
shipwreck, and giving up each other as lost. The ade- 
lantado, who commanded the worst vessel of the squad- 
ron, ran the most imminent hazard, and nothing but his 
consummate seamanship enabled him to keep her afloat ; 
he lost his longboat, and all the other vessels sustained 
more or less injury. At length, after various vicissi- 
tudes, they all arrived safe at Port Hermoso, to the west 
of San Domingo. 

A different fate befel the other armament. The ship 
on board of which were Bobadilla, Roldan, and a number 
of the most inveterate enemies of Columbus, was swal- 
lowed up with all its crew, and wii.ii the celebrated mass 
of gold, and the principal part of the ill-gotten treasure 
gained by the miseries of the Indians. Many of the other 
ships were entirely lost, some returned to San Domingo 
in shattered condition, and only one was enabled to con- 
tinue her voyage to Spain. That one, it is said, was 
the weakest of the fleet, and had on board of it four thou- 
<;and pieces of gold, the property of the admiral, remitted 



OF COLUMBUS. 217 

to Spain by his agent Carvajal. Both Fernando Cokim- 
bus, and the venerable historian Las Casas, looked upon 
this event as one of those awful judgements which seem at 
times to deal forth temporal retribution. They notice 
the circumstance, that, while the enemies of the admiral 
were thus, as it were, before his eyes, swallowed up in 
the raging sea, the only ship enabled to pursue her voy- 
age, was the frail bark freighted with his property. Many 
of the superstitious seamen, who, from the sagacity dis- 
played by Columbus, in judging of the signs of the ele- 
ments, and his variety of scientific knowledge, looked 
upon him as endowed with supernatural powers, fancied 
he had conjured up this storm by magic spells, for the 
destruction of his enemies. The evils in this, as in most 
of the cases called temporaljudgements, overwhelmed the 
innocent with the guilty. In the same ship with Boba- 
dilla and Roldan, perished the captive Guarionex, the 
unfortunate cacique of the vega. 

After repairing the damages sustained by his ships in 
the storm, Columbus steered for Terra Firma, but the 
weather falling perfectly calm, he was swept away to the 
northwest by the currents, until he arrived on the south- 
ern coast of Cuba. The wind springing up fair, he re- 
sumed his course, and standing to the southwest, was 
enabled, on the 30th of July, to make the island of Gua- 
naga, a few leagues distant from the coast of Honduras. 
While the adelantado was on shore at this island, a canoe 
arrived of an immense size, on board of which sat a 
cacique with his wives and children, under an awning of 
palm leaves. The canoe was paddled by twenty-five 
Indians, and freighted with various merchandise, the rude 
manufactures and natural productions of the adjacent 
countries. There were hatchets and other utensils of 
copper, with a kind of crucible for the melting of that 
metal. Various vessels neatly formed of clay, marble, 
and hard wood; mantles of cotton, worked and dyed with 
various colors; and many other articles which indicated 
a superior degree of art and civilization than had hithertc 
been discovered in the new world. 

19 * I 



218 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

The Indians, as far as they could be understood, in- 
Ibrmed the admiral that they had come from a country 
rich, cultivated, and industrious, situated to the west, and 
urged him to steer in that direction. Well would it have 
been for Columbus had he followed their advice. Within 
a day or two he would have arrived at Yucatan; the dis- 
covery of Mexico, and the other opulent countries of New 
Spain, would have necessarily followed, the Southern 
Ocean would have been disclosed to him, and a succes- 
sion of splendid discoveries would have shed fresh glory 
on his declining age, instead of its sinking amidst gloom, 
neglect, and disappointment. 

The admiral's whole mind, however, was at present 
intent upon discovering the supposed strait, that was to 
lead him to the Indian Ocean. He stood, therefore, 
southwardly for some mountains which he descried not 
many leagues distant, made Cape Honduras, and from 
thence proceeded eastwardly, beating against contrary 
winds, and struggling with the currents which sweep that 
coast. There was an almost incessant tempest, with 
heavy rain and awful thunder and lightning. His vessels 
were strained so that their seams opened, the sails and 
rigging were rent, and the provisions damaged by the 
rain and the leakage. The sailors were exhausted with 
fatigue, and harassed with terror. Several times they 
confessed their sins to each other, and prepared for death. 
During a great part of this time, Columbus suffered ex- 
tremely from die gout, and his complaint was aggravated 
by watchfulness and anxiety. His illness did not pre- 
vent his attending to his duties; he had a small cabin or 
roundhouse constructed on the stern, from whence, 
even when confined to his bed, he could keep a look- 
out, and regulate the sailing of the ships. Many times 
he was so ill that he thought his end approaching, and 
his anxious mind was distressed at the thoughts that his 
brother Don Bartholomew, and his son Fernando, were 
exposed to the same dangers and hardships. Often, too, 
his thoughts reverted to his son Diego, and the cares 
and misfortunes into which his death might plunge him. 
At length, after struggling for upwards of forty days to 



OF COLUMBUS. 219 

make a distance of about seventy leagues, he arrived, oi 
the 14lh of September, at a cape where the coast made 
a sudden bend, and turned directly south. Doubling 
this cape, he had immediately an easy wind, and swept 
off with flowing sail, in consequence of which he gave it 
the name of Gracias a Dios^ or Thanks to God. 

For three weeks he continued coasting what is at pres- 
ent called the Mosquito shore, in the course of which a 
boat with its crew was swallowed up by the sudden swell- 
ing of a river. He had occasional interviews with the 
natives, but a mutual distrust prevailed between them and 
the Spaniards. The Indians were frightened at seeing 
a notary of the fleet take out pen, ink, and paper, and 
proceed to write down the information they were com- 
municating; they supposed he was working some magic 
spell, and to counteract it, they scattered a fragrant pow- 
der in the air, and burnt it so that the smoke should be 
borne towards the Spaniards. The superstitious seamen 
looked upon these counter charms with equal distrust. 
They suspected the people of this coast to be great en- 
chanters, and that all the delays and hardships they had 
experienced were in consequence of the ships being under 
some evil spell, wrought by their magic arts. Even Co- 
lumbus, and his son and historian Fernando, appear to have 
been tinctured with this superstition, which indeed is 
characteristic of the age. 

On the 5th of October, Columbus arrived at what is at 
present called Costa Rica, (or the Rich Coast,) from the 
gold and silver mines found in after years among its moun 
tains. Here he beg^n to find ornaments of pure gold 
among the natives. These increased in quantity when 
he came to what has since been called the coast of 
Veragua, where he was assured that the richest mines 
were to be found. In sailing along these coasts, he re- 
ceived repeated accounts of a great kingdom in the 
west, called Ciguare, at the distance of several days' 
journey, where, as far as he could understand the imper- 
fect explanations of his interpreters, the inhabitants wore 
crowns and bracelets and anklets of gold, and employed 
t in embroidering their garments, and ornamenting and 



220 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

embossing their furniture. They were armed, also, like 
the Spaniards, with swords, bucklers, and cuirasses, and 
were mounted on horses. The country was described 
also as being commercial, with seaports, in which ships 
arrived armed with cannon. Above all, Columbus 
understood that the sea continued round to this kingdom 
of Ciguare, and that ten days beyond it was the Ganges. 

These were evidently rumors of the distant kingdom 
of Mexico, imperfectly interpreted to Columbus, and 
shaped and colored by his imagination. He concluded 
that this country must be some province belonging to the 
Grand Khan, and must lie on the opposite side of a pen- 
insula, and that he would soon arrive at a strait leading 
into the Indian Sea, which washed its shores. The sup- 
posed vicinity of the Ganges caused no surprise, as he 
had adopted the opinion of certain ancient philosophers, 
who gave the world a smaller circumference than was 
generally imagined, and but fifty-six miles and two-thirds 
to a degree of the equinoctial line. 

With these erroneous but ingenious ideas, Columbus 
continued to press forward in search of the imaginary 
strait, contending with adverse winds and currents, and 
meeting with great hostility from the natives ; for the 
Indians of these coasts were fierce and warlike, and many 
of the tribes are supposed to have been of Carib origin. 
At sight of the ships, the forests would resound with 
yells and war-whoops, with wooden drums, and the blasts 
of conchs, and on landing the shores would be lined with 
savage warriors, armed with clubs and lances, and swords 
of palm wood. 

At length, having discovered and named Puerto Bello, 
and continued beyond Cape Nombre de Dios, Columbus 
arrived at a small and narrow harbor, to which he gave 
the name of El Retrete, or The Cabinet. Here he had 
reached the point, to which Bastides, an enterprising 
voyager, coasting from the eastward, had recently ex- 
plored. Whether Columbus knew or not, of the voyage 
of this discoverer, does not clearly appear, but here he 
was induced to give up all further attempt to find the 
strait. The seamen were disheartened by the constant 



OF COLUMBUS. 221 

opposition of the winds and currents, and by the condition 
of the ships, which were pierced in all parts by the 
teredo or worm so destructive in the tropical seas. They 
considered themselves still under an evil spell, worked 
by the Indian sorcerers, and the commanders remon- 
strated against forcing their way any farther in spite of the 
elements, with ships so crazed and leaky. Columbus 
yielded to their solicitations, and determined to return to 
the coast of Veragua, and search for the mines which 
were said to abound there. 

Here, then, ended the lofty anticipations which had 
elevated him above all mercenary views in his struggle 
along these perilous coasts, and had given a heroic char- 
acter to the early part of his voyage. It is true, he 
had been in pursuit of a mere chimera, but it was the 
chimera of a splendid imagination and a penetrating judge- 
ment. The subsequent discovery of the Pacific Ocean 
bathing the oppos'ite shores of that narrow isthmus 
has proved that a great part of his theory was well 
founded. 



CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

Return to the Coast of Veragua. — Contests with the J^a- 
lives. [1502.] 

On the 5th of December, Columbus sailed from El 
Retrete, to return westward in search of the gold mines 
of Veragua. He had not proceeded far, however, when 
the wind suddenly veered to the west, the point from 
whence, for three months, he had been wishing it to 
blow, but from whence it now came only to contradict 
him. In a little while it became so variable and furious 
as to baffle all seamanship. For nine days, the vessels 
were tossed about, at the mercy of a raging tempest, in 
an unknown sea, and often exposed to the awful perils 
19* 



222 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

of a lee shore. The sea, according to the descriptior 
of Columbus, boiled at times like a caldron ; at othe. 
times it ran in mountain waves, covered with foam. A. 
night, the raging billows sparkled with luminous particles 
which made them resemble great surges of flame. For 
a day and a night, the heavens glowed like a furnace, 
with incessant flashes of lightning ; while the loud claps 
of thunder were often mistaken by the mariners for 
signal guns of distress from their foundering companions. 
During the whole time, there was such a deluge of rain, 
that the seamen were almost drowned in their open ves- 
sels. 

In the midst of this wild tumult of the elements, they 
beheld a new object of alarm. The ocean in one place 
became strangely agitated. The water was whirled up 
into a kind of pyramid or cone, while a livid cloud, 
tapering to a point, bent down to meet it. Joining to- 
gether, they formed a column, which rapidly approached 
the ships, spinning along the surface of the deep, and 
drawing up the waters with a rushing sound. The 
affrighted mariners, when they beheld this waterspout 
advancing towards them, despaired of averting it by 
human means, and began to repeat certain passages from 
St. John the Evangelist. The waterspout passed close 
by their ships, without injuring them, and they attributed 
their escape to the miraculous efficacy of their quotations 
from the Scriptures. 

An interval of calm succeeded, but even this afforded 
but little consolation to the tempest-tost mariners, they 
looked upon it as deceitful, and beheld with alarm great 
numbers of sharks, so abundant and ravenous in those 
latitudes, roaming about the ships. Among the super- 
stitions of the seas, is the belief that these voracious fish 
have not only the faculty of smelling dead bodies at a 
distance, but have a presentiment of their prey, and keep 
about vessels which have sick persons on board, or which 
are in danger of being wrecked. 

For three weeks longer, they continued to be driven 
to and fro, by changeable and tempestuous winds, en- 
deavoring to make a distance of merely thirty leagues, 



OF COLUMBUS. 223 

insomuch that Columbus gave this Hne of seaboard the 
name of La Costa de los Contrastes, or the Coast of 
Contradictions. At length, to his great joy, he arrived, 
on the day of Epiphany, (the 6th of January,) on the coast 
of Veragua, and anchored in a river, to which, jn honor 
of the day, he gave the name of Belen or Bethlehem. 

The natives of the neighborhood manifested the same 
fierce and warlike character that generally prevailed along 
this coast. They were soon conciliated, however, and 
brought many ornaments of fine gold to traffic ; but as- 
sured the admiral that the mines lay near the river Veragua, 
which was about two leagues distant. The adelantado 
had an interview with Quibian, the cacique of Veragua, 
who afterwards visited the ships. He was a stern war- 
rior, of tall and powerful ''rame, and taciturn and cautious 
character. A few days afterwards, the adelantado, at- 
tended by sixty-eight men, well armed, proceeded to 
explore the Veragua, and seek its reputed mines. They 
ascended the river about a league and a half, to the village 
of Quibian, which was situated on a hill. The cacique 
descended with a numerous train of his subjects, unarmed, 
and took his seat on a great stone, which one of his at- 
tendants drew out of the river. He received his guests 
with courtesy, for the lofty, vigorous, and iron form of the 
adelantado, and his resolute demeanor, were calculated 
to inspire awe and respect in an Indian warrior. Though 
his jealousy was evidently awakened by the intrusion of 
the Spaniards into his territories, yet he readily furnished 
Don Bartholomew with guides, to conduct him to the 
mines. These guides led the adelantado and his men 
about six leagues into the interior, among thick forests 
of lofty and magnificent trees, where they told them the 
mines were situated. In fact, the whole soil appeared to 
be impregnated with gold, and the Spaniards collected a 
considerable quantity from the surface of the earth, and 
from among the roots of the trees. From hence, the 
adelantado was conducted to the summit of a high hill, 
which overlooked an immense extent of country, with 
var"ous villages, and the guides assured him, that the 



224 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES • 

whole land, to the distance of twenty days' journey west- 
ward, abounded in gold. 

Another expedition of Don Bartholomew along the 
coast, westward, was equally satisfactory; and the reports 
which he brought of golden tracts of country, together 
with the rumors of a rioh and civilized kingdom in the 
interior, and the erroneo js idea with respect to the vicini- 
ty of the Ganges, all concurred to produce a new illusion 
in the ardent mind of Columbus. He fancied that he 
had actually arrived at the Aurea Chersonesus, from 
whence, according to Josephus, the gold had been pro- 
cured for the building of the temple of Jerusalem. Here, 
then, was a place, at which to found a colony and estab- 
lish a mart, which should become an emporium of the 
wealth of a vast region of mines. His brother, Don 
Bartholomew, concurred with him In opinion, and agreed 
to remain here with the greater part of the people, while 
the admiral should return to Spain, for supplies and re- 
enforcements. 

They immediately proceeded to carry their plan i.ito 
operation. Eighty men were selected to remain. Houses 
of wood, thatched with palm leaves, were erected on the 
high bank of a creek, about a bowshot within the mouth 
of the river Belen. A storehouse was built to receive 
part of the ammunition, artillery, and stores ; the rest 
was put on board of one of the caravels, which was to 
be left for the use of the colony. 

The houses being sufficiently finished to be habitable, 
the admiral prepared for his departure, when he found, 
to his surprise, that the river, which on his arrival had 
besn swollen by rain, had subsided to such a degree, that 
there was not above half a fathom of water on the bar. 
Though his vessels were small, it was impossible to 
draw them over the sands at the mouth of the river, on 
account of a heavy surf. He was obliged, therefore, to 
wait until the rains should again swell the river. 

In the mean time, Quibian beheld with secret indigna- 
tion these strangers intruding themselves into his domin- 
ions. Columbus had sought to secure his friendship by 
various presents, but in vain. The cacique, ignorant of 



OF COLUMBUS. 225 

the vast superiority of the Europeans in the art of war, 
thought it easy to overwhehii and destroy hem. He 
sent messengers around, and ordered all his fighting men 
to assemble at his residence, under pretext of making 
war upon a neighboring province. The movements of 
the Indians awakened the suspicions of one Diego Men- 
dez, chief notary of the armament. He was a man of 
zeal and spirit, of a shrewd and prying character, and 
entirely devoted to the admiral. He mingled among the 
Indians, and observed circumstances which satisfied him 
that they were meditating an attack. The admiral was 
loath to believe it, and was desirous of clearer informa- 
tion, before he took any step that might interrupt the 
pacific intercourse that yet prevailed. The indefatigable 
Mendez now undertook a service of life and death. Ac- 
companied by a single companion, he penetrated as a 
spy to the very residence of Quibian, who they heard 
had been wounded in the leg by an arrow. Mendez 
gave himself out as a surgeon come to cure the wound, 
and made his way to the mansion of the grim warrior, 
which was situated on the crest of a hill, and surrounded 
by three hundred heads, on stakes ; dismal trophies of 
the enemies he had vanquished in battle. Undismayed 
by this sight, Mendez endeavored to enter, but was met 
at the threshold by the son of the cacique, who repulsed 
him with a violent blow, that made him recoil several 
paces. He managed to pacify the furious young savage, 
by taking out a box of ointment, and assuring him that 
he only came for the purpose of curing his father's 
wounds. He then made him presents of a comb, scis- 
sors, and mirror, taught him and his Indians the use of 
them in cutting and arranging their hair, and thus ingra- 
tiated himself widi them by administering to their vanity. 
It was impossible, however, to gain admittance to the 
cacique ; but Mendez saw enough to convince him that 
the attack was about to be carried into effect, and that 
it was merely delayed by the wound of the cacique ; he 
hastened back, therefore, to Columbus with the intelli- 
gence. 

An Indian interpreter, a native of the neighborhood, 



226 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

corroborated the report of Mendez. He informed the 
admiral that Quibian intended to come secretly, in the 
dead of the night, with all his warriors, to set fire to 
the ships and houses, and massacre the Spaniards. 

When the adelantado heard of this plot, he conceived 
a counterplot to defeat it, which he carried into effect 
with his usual promptness and resolution. Taking with 
him seventy-four men, well armed, among whom was 
Diego Mendez, and being accompanied by the Indian 
interpreter who had revealed the conspiracy, he set off 
in boats to the mouth of the Veragua, ascended it rapid- 
ly, and landed in the night at the village of the cacique, 
before the Indians could have notice of his approach. 
Lest Quibian should take the alarm and fly, he ascended 
to his house, accompanied only by Diego Mendez and 
four other men, ordermg the rest to come on gradually 
and secretly, and at the discharge of an arquebuse to 
rush up and surround the house, and suffer no one to 
escape. 

The cacique, hearing of his approach, came forth, and 
seating himself in the portal, desired him to advance 
singly. Don Bartholomew complied, 'ordering Diego 
Mendez and his four companions to remain at a little 
distance, but to rush to his aid at a concerted signal. 
He then advanced, addressed the cacique by means of 
ihe interpreter, inquired about his wound, and pretending 
;o examine it, took him by the arm. This was the sig- 
nal, at which four of the Spaniards rushed forward; the 
fifth discharged the arquebuse. A violent struggle en- 
sued between Don Bartholomew and the cacique, who 
were both men of great muscular force ; but, with the 
assistance of Diego INIendez and his companions, Quibian 
was overpowered, and bound hand and foot. In the 
mean time the main body of the Spaniards surrounded 
the house, and captured the wives and children of the 
cacique, and several of his principal subjects. The pris- 
oners were sent off to the ships, while the adelantado, 
with a part of his men, remained on shore to pursue the 
[ndians who had escaped. 

The cacique was conveyed to the boats by .Tuan San* 



OF COLUMBUS. 227 

chez, the principal pilot of the squadron, a powerful and 
spirited rnan. The adelantado charged him to be on his 
guard against any attempt at rescue or escape. The 
sturdy pilot replied, that if the cacique escaped from his 
clutches he would give them leave to pluck out his beard 
hair by hair. On arriving at the boat, he secured his 
prisoner by a strong cord to one of the benches. It was 
a dark night; as the boat proceeded down the river, the 
cacique complained piteously of the painfulness of his 
bonds, until the rough heart of the pilot was touched 
with compassion. He loosened the cord, therefore, by 
which Quibian was tied to the bench, keeping the end 
of it in his hand. The wily Indian now watched his 
opportunity, and plunged suddenly into the water, with 
such violence, that the pilot had to let go the cord, lest 
he should be drawn in after him. The darkness of the 
night, and the bustle which took place in preventing the 
escape of the other prisoners, rendered it impossible to 
pursue the cacique, or even to ascertain his fate. Juan 
Sanchez hastened to the ships with the residue of the 
captives, deeply mortified at being thus outwitted by a 
savage. 

The adelantado remained all night on shore, but on 
the following morning, seeing the wild and rugged nature 
of the country, he gave up all further pursuit of the In- 
dians, and returned to the ships with the spoils of the 
cacique's mansion, consisting of bracelets, anklets, and 
massive plates of gold, and two golden coronets. One 
fifth of the booty was set apart for the crown, the resi- 
due was shared among those concerned in the enterprise, 
and one of the coronets was assigned to the adelantado 
as a trophy of his exploit. 



a28 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 

Disasters of the Settlement. [1503. J 

Satisfied tliat the vigorous measure of the adelanta- 
do had struck terror into the Indians, and crushed their 
hostile designs, Columbus took advantage of a swelling 
of the river, to pass the bar with three of his caravels, 
leaving the fourth for the use of the settlement. He then 
anchored within a league of the shore, untd a favorable 
wind should spring up for Hispaniola. 

The cacique Quibian had not perished in the river, as 
sonie had supposed. Plunging to the bottom, he swam 
for some distance below the surface, and then emerging, 
escaped to the shore. His home, however, was deso- 
late, and to complete his despair, he saw the vessels 
standing out to sea, bearing away his wives and children 
captives. Furious for revenge, he gathered together a 
great number of his warriors, and assailed the settlement 
when the Spaniards were scattered and off their guard. 
The Indians launched their javelins through the roofs of 
the houses, which were of palm leaves, or hurled them 
in at the windows, or thrust them between the logs which 
composed the walls, and wounded several of the Span- 
iards. On the first alarm, the adelantado seized a lance, 
and sallied forth with seven or eight of his men; Diego 
Mendez brought several others to his assistance. They 
had a short skirmish; one Spaniard was killed, and eight 
wounded; the adelantado received a thrust in the breast 
with a javelin; but they succeeded in repulsing the In- 
dians, with considerable loss, and driving them into tlie 
forest. 

During the skirmish, a boat came on shore from the 
ships to procure wood and water. It was commanded 
by Diego Tristan, a captain of one of the caravels. 
When the Indians were put to flight, he proceeded up 



OF COLUMBUS. 229 

the river, in quest of fresh water, disregarding the warn- 
ing counsels of those on shore. 

Tlie boat had ascended about a league above the vil- 
lage, to a part of the river overshadowed by lofty banks 
and spreading trees. Suddenly the forest resounded 
with yells and war-whoops, and the blasts of conchs. A 
shower of missiles was rained from the shores, and canoes 
darted out from creeks and coves, filled with warriors, 
brandishing their weapons. The Spaniards, losing all 
presence of mind, neglected to use their firearms, and 
only sought to shelter themselves with their bucklers. 
The captain, Diego Tristan, though covered with wounds, 
endeavored to animate his men, when a javelin pierced 
his right eye, and struck him dead. The canoes now 
closed upon the boat, and massacred the crew. One 
Spaniard alone escaped, who, having fallen overboard, 
dived to the bottom, swam under water, and escaped un- 
perceived to shore, bearing tidings of the massacre to the 
settlement. The Spaniards were so alarmed at the in- 
telligence, and at the thoughts of the dangers that were 
thickening around them, that, notwithstanding the remon- 
strances of the adelantado, they determined to embark 
in the caravel, and abandon the place altogether. On 
making the attempt, however, they found that, the tor- 
rents having subsided, the river was again shallow, and it 
was impossible for the caravel to pass over the bar. A 
high sea and boisterous surf also prevented their sending 
off a boat to the admiral, with intelligence of their dan- 
ger. While thus cut off from all retreat or succor, hor- 
rors increased upon them. The mangled bodies of Diego 
Tristan and his men came floating down the stream, and 
drifting about the harbor, with flights of crows and other 
carrion birds feeding on them, and hovering, and scream- 
ing, and fighting about their prey. 

In the mean time, the dismal sound of conchs and war 
drums was heard in every direction in the bosom of the 
surrounding forest, showing that the enemy was augment- 
mg in number, and preparing for further hostilities. The 
adelantado, therefore, deemed it unsafe to remain in the 
village, which was adjacent to the woods. He chose an 
20 I, 



230 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

open place on the shore, where he caused a kind of bul 
wark to he made of the boat of the caravel, and of casks 
and sea chests. Two places were left open as embra- 
sures, in which were mounted a couple of falconets, or 
small pieces of artillery. In tliis little fortress, the Span- 
iards shut themselves up, and kept the Indians at a distance 
by the terror of their firearms ; but they were exhausted 
by watching and by incessant alarms, and looked forward 
with despondency to the time when their ammunition 
should be exhausted, or they should be driven forth by 
hunger to seek for food. 

While the Spaniards were exposed to such imminent 
peril on shore, great anxiety prevailed on board of the 
ships. Day after day elapsed without the return of Die- 
go Tristan and his party, and it was feared that some 
disaster had befallen them. But one boat remained for 
the service of the ships, and they dared not risk it in the 
rough sea and heavy surf, to send it on shore for intelli- 
gence. A circumstance occurred to increase the anxiety 
of the crews. The Indian prisoners were confined in 
the forecastle of one of the caravels. In the night they 
suddenly burst open the hatch, several flung themselves 
into the sea, and swam to the shore ; the rest were se- 
cured and forced back into the forecastle, but such was 
their unconquerable spirit and their despair, that they 
hane;ed or stranded themselves with ends of cords which 
!ay about in their prison, and m the mornmg were all 
found dead. 

The escape of some of the prisoners gave great unea- 
siness to the admiral, fearing they would stimulate their 
countrymen to some new act of vengeance. Still it was 
impossible to send a boat on shore. At length, one 
Pedro Ledesma, a man of great strength and resolution, 
volunteered, if the boat would take him to the edge of 
the surf, to plunge into the sea, swim to the shore, and 
bring off intelligence. He succeeded, and on his return 
informed the admiral of all the disasters of the settlement; 
the attack by the Indians, and the massacre of Diego 
Tristan and his boat's crew. He found the vSpaniards 
m their forlorn fortress, in a complete state of insubordi- 



OF COLUMBUS. 231 

nation. They were preparing canoes to take them to 
the ships, when the weather should moderate. They 
threatened that, if the admiral refused to take them on 
board, they would embark in the remaining caravel, as 
soon as it could be extricated from the river, and would 
abandon themselves to the mercy of the seas, rather than 
continue on that fatal coast. 

The admiral was deeply afflicted at this intelligence, 
but there appeared no alternative but to embark all the 
people, abandon the settlement for the present, and re- 
turn at a future day, with a force competent to take secure 
possession of the country. The state of the weather 
rendered the execution even of this plan doubtful. The 
high wind and boisterous waves still prevented communi- 
cation, and the situation of those at sea, in crazy and 
feebly manned ships, on a lee shore, was scarcely less 
perilous than that of their comrades on the land. Every 
hour increased the anxiety of the admiral. Days of 
constant perturbation, and nights of sleepless anguish, 
preyed upon a constitution broken by age and hardships. 
Amidst the acute maladies of the body, and the fever of 
the mind, he appears to have been visited by partial de- 
lirium. In a letter to the sovereigns, he gives an account 
of a kind of vision, which comforted him when full of 
despondency, and tossing upon a couch of pain. In the 
silence of the night, when, wearied and sighing, he had 
fallen into a slumber, he thought he heard a voice re- 
proaching him with his want of confidence in God. 
"Oh fool, and slow to believe thy God !" exclaimed the 
voice ; " what did he more for Moses or for his servant 
David ? From the time that thou wert born he has ever 
taken care of thee. When he saw thee of a fitting age, 
he made thy name to resound marvellously throughout 
the world. The Indies, those rich parts of the earth, 
he gave thee for thine own, and empowered thee to dis- 
pose of them. to others, according to thy pleasure. He 
delivered thee the keys of the gates of the ocean sea, 
shut up by such mighty chains, and thou wert obeyed in 
many lands, and didst acquire honorable fame among 
Christians. ****** Thou dost call despcndinglv for 



232 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

succor. Answer ! who has affi ctei thee ? God, or the 
world ? The privileges and promises which God has 
made thee, he has never hroken. He fulfils all that he 
promises, and with increase. Thy present troubles are 
the reward of the toils and perils thou hast endured in 
serving others." Amidst its reproaches the voice min- 
gled promises of further protection, and assurances that 
his age should be no impediment to any great under- 
taking. 

Such is the vision which Columbus circumstantially 
relates in a letter to the sovereigns. The words here 
spoken by a supposed voice, are truths which dwelt upon 
his mind and agitated his spirit in his waking hours. It 
is natural that they should recur vividly in his feverish 
dreams. He had a solemn belief that he was a peculiar 
instrument in the hands of Providence, which, together 
with a deep tinge of superstition, common to the age, 
made him prone to mistake every striking dream for a 
revelation. 

His error was probably confirmed by subsequent cir 
cumstances. Immediately after the supposed vision, 
and after nine days of boisterous weather, the wind sub- 
sided, the sea became calm, and the adelantado, and his 
companions were happily rescued from their perilous 
situation, and embarked on board of the ships. Every 
thing of value was likewise brought on board, and noth- 
ing remained but the hull of the caravel, which could 
not be extricated from the river. Diego Mendez was 
extremely eflicient in bringing off the people and the 
property ; and, in reward of his zeal and services, the 
admiral gave him the command of the caravel, vacant by 
the death of the unfortunate Diego Tristan. 



OF COLUMBUS. 23i 



CHAPTER XL. 

Voyage to Jamaica. — Transacthns at that Island 
[1503.] 

Towards the end of April, Columbus set sail from 
the disastrous coast of Veragua. The wretched con- 
dition of his ships, the enfeebled state of his crews, and 
the scarcity of provisions, determined him to make the 
best of his way for Hispaniola ; but it was necessary, 
before standing across for that island, to gain a consid- 
erable distance to the east, to avoid being swept away 
far below their destined port by the currents. The pi- 
lots and mariners, who had not studied the navigation of 
these seas with an equally experienced and observant 
eye, fancied, when Columbus stood along the coast to 
the east, that he intended to proceed immediately to 
Spain, and murmured loudly at the madness of attempt- 
ing so long a voyage, with ships destitute of stores and 
consumed by the worms. The admiral did not impart 
his reasons, for he was disposed to make a mystery of 
his routes, seeing the number of private adventurers 
daily crowding into his track. 

Continuing along the coast eastward, he was obliged 
to abandon one of the caravels in the harbor of Puerto 
Bello, being so pierced by the teredo that it was impos- 
sible to keep her afloat. He then proceeded about ten 
leagues beyond Point Bias, near to what is at present 
called the gulf of Darien, and which he supposed to be 
the province of Mangi, in the territories of the Grand 
Khan. Here he bade farewell to the main land, and 
stood northward on the first of May, in quest of His- 
paniola. Notwithstanding all his precautions, however, 
he was carried so far west by the currents, as to arrive, 
on the 30th of May, among the cluster of islands called 
the Queen's Gardens, on the south side of Cuba. During 
20* 



234 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

this time, his crews had suffered excessively from hun- 
ger and fatigue. They were crowded into two caravels, 
little better than mere wrecks, and which were scarcely 
kept afloat by incessant labor at the pump. They were 
enfeebled by scanty diet, and dejected by a variety of 
hardships. A violent storm, on the coast of Cuba, drove 
the vessels upon each other, and shattered them to such 
a degree, that the admiral, after struggling as far as Cape 
Cruz, gave up all further attempt to navigate them to 
Hispaniola, and stood over in search of a secure port 
on the island of Jamaica. Here, on the 24th of June, 
they anchored in a harbor, to which the admiral gave the 
name of Port San Gloria. 

Seeing that his ships were no longer capable of stand- 
ing the sea, and were in danger of foundering even in 
port, Columbus ran them aground, within bow-shot of 
the shore, where they were fastened together side by 
side. They soon filled with water. Thatched cabins 
were then erected at the prow and stern to shelter the 
crews, and the wreck was placed in the best possible 
state of defence : thus castled in the sea, Columbus 
trusted to be able to repel any sudden attack of the na- 
tives, and at the same time to keep his men under prop- 
er restraint. No one was permitted to go on shore 
without especial license, and the utmost precaution was 
taken to prevent any offence being given to the Indians, 
who soon swarmed to the harbor with provisions, as any 
exasperation of them might be fatal to the Spaniards in 
their present forlorn situation. Two persons were ap- 
pointed to superintend all bargains, and ihe provisions 
thus obtained were divided every evennig among the 
people. As the immediate neighborhood, however, 
might soon be exhausted, the zealous and intrepid Diego 
Mendez made a tour in the interior, accompanied by 
three men, and made arrangements for the caciques at a 
distance to furnish daily supplies at the harbor, in ex- 
change for European trinkets. He returned in triumph, 
in a canoe which he had purchased from the Indians, 
and which he had freighted with provisions, and through 
his able arrangement the Spaniards were regularly siip- 
pli(Ml. 



OF C0LUM15US. 236 

The immediate wants of his people being thus pro- 
vided for, Columbus revolved, in his anxious mind, the 
means of getting from this island. His ships were beyond 
the possibility of repair; there was no hope of a chance 
sail arriving to his rehef, on the shores of a savage island, 
in an unfrequented sea. At length, a mode of relief 
occurred to him, through the means of this same Diego 
Mendez, whose courage and loyalty he had so often 
proved. He took him aside to sound him on the sub- 
ject, and Mendez himself has written an account of this 
interesting conversation, which is full of character. 

" Diego Mendez, my son," said the venerable admi- 
ral, " of all those who are here, you and I alone know 
the great peril in which we are placed. We are few in 
number, and these savage Indians are many, and of fickle 
and irritable natures. On the least provocation, they may 
throw firebrands from the shore, and consume us in our 
straw-thatched cabins. The arrangement which you 
have made for provisions, and which at present they 
fulfil so cheerfully, they may capriciously break, to-mor- 
row, and may refuse to bring us ai;\ thing ; nor have we 
the means of compelling them, i have thought of a 
remedy, if it meets your views. In this canoe which 
you have purchased, some one may pass over to His- 
paniola, and procure a ship, by wliich we shall all be 
delivered from this great peril. Tell me your opinion 
on the matter." 

" Seiior," replied Diego Mendez, " I well know our 
danger to be far greater than is easily conceived ; but as 
to passing to Hispaniola in so small a vessel as a canoe, 
I hold it not merely diflicult, but impossible, since it is 
necessary to traverse a gulf of forty leagues, and between 
islands where the sea is impetuous and seldom in repose. 
I know not who there is would venture upon so extreme 
a peril." 

Columbus made no reply ; but fiom his looks, and the 
nature of his silence, Mendez plainly perceived himself 
to be the person whom the admiral had in view. Re- 
suming, therefore, the conversation, " Seiior," said he, 
" I have many times put my life in peril to save you and 



236 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

my comrades, and God has hitherto preserved me in a 
miraculous manner. There are, nevertheless, murmur- 
ers, who say that your excellency intrusts to me every 
affair wherein honor is to be gained, while there are oth- 
ers in company who would execute them as well as I. 
I beg, therefore, that you would assemble the people, 
and propose this enterprise, to see if any one will under- 
take it, which I doubt. If all decline, I will then come 
forward and risk my life in your service, as I have many 
times done already." 

The admiral willingly humored the wishes of the 
worthy Mendez ; for never was simple vanity accom- 
panied by more generous and devoted zeal. 

On the following morning, the crew was accordingly 
assembled, and the proposition made. Every one drew 
back, pronouncing it the height of rashness. Upon this, 
Diego Mendez stepped forward. " Senor," said he, " I 
have but one life to lose, yet I am willing to venture it 
for your service, and for the good of all here present ; 
and I trust in the protection of God, which I have ex- 
perienced on so many other occasions." 

Columbus embraced this zealous follower, who im- 
mediately set about preparing for the expedition. Draw- 
ing his canoe on shore, he put on a false keel, and nailed 
weatherboards along the bow and stern, to prevent the 
sea from breaking over it. He then payed it with a 
coat of tar, furnished it with a mast and sail, and put in 
provisions for himself, a Spanish comrade, and six In- 
dians. 

In the mean while, Columbus wrote a letter to Ovando, 
governor of Hispaniola, begging that a ship might imme- 
diately be sent to bring him and his men to Hispaniola; 
and he wrote another to the sovereigns, entreating for a 
ship to convey them from Hispaniola to Spain. In this 
letter, he gave a comprehensive account of his voyage, 
and expressed his opinion that Veragua was the Aurea 
Chersonesus of the ancients. He supposed himself to 
have reached the confines of the dominions of the Grand 
Khan, and offered, if he lived to return to Spain, to 
conduct a mission thither to instruct that potentate in the 



OF COLUMBUS. 237 

Christiaji faith. What an instance of soaring enthusiasm 
and irrepressible enterprise is here exhibited ' At the 
time he was indulging these visions, and proposing new 
and romantic enterprises, he was broken down by age 
and infirmities, racked by pain, confined to his bed, and 
shut up in a wreck on the coast of a remote and savage 
island. 

The despatches being ready, Diego Mendez embarked 
with his Spanish comrade and his six Indians, and coast- 
ed the island eastward. Their voyage was toilsome and 
perilous. When arrived at the end of the island, they 
were suddenly surrounded and taken prisoners by the 
Indians, who carried them three leagues into the interior, 
where they determined to kill them. A dispute arising 
about the division of the spoils, they agreed to settle it, 
after the Indian fashion, by a game of ball. While thus 
engaged, Diego Mendez escaped, regained his canoe, 
and made his way back to the harbor in it, alone, after 
fifteen days' absence. Nothing daunted by the perils and 
hardships he had undergone, he offered to depart imme 
diately, on a second attempt, provided he could be escort- 
ed to the end of the island by an armed force. Ilis 
offer was accepted, and Bartholomew Fiesco, a Genoese, 
who had commanded one of the caravels, and was strongly 
attached to the admiral, was associated with him in this 
second expedition. Each had a canoe, with six Span- 
iards and ten Indians under his command. On reaching 
Hispaniola, Fiesco was to return immediately to Ja- 
maica, to bring tidings to the admiral of the safe arrival 
of his messenger ; while Diego Mendez was to proceed 
to San Domingo, and, after purchasing and despatching 
a ship, was to depart for Spain with the letter to the 
sovereigns. 

All arrangements being made, the Indians placed in 
the canoes a supply of cassava bread, and each his cala- 
bash of water. The Spaniards, beside their provisions, 
had each his sword and target. The adelantado, with 
an armed band, kept pace with them along the coast, 
until they reached the end of the island, where, waiting 
for three days until the weather was perfectly ^erene. 



238 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

they launched forth on the broad bosom of the sea. The 
adelantado remained vvatchuig them, until they became 
mere specks on the ocean, and the evening hid them from 
his view, and then returned to the harbor. 



CHAPTER XLI. 

J\Iutiny of Porras. — Eclipse of the Moon. — Stralagem 
of Columbus to procure Supplies from the Indians. 
[1503.] 

Months elapsed, and nothing was heaid of Mendez 
and Fiesco. The Spaniards, enfeebled by past sufferings, 
crowded in close quarters, in a moist and sultry climate, 
and reduced to a vegetable diet, to which they were un- 
accustomed, became extremely sickly, and their maladies 
were heightened by anxiety and suspense. Day after 
day, and week after week, they kept a wistful look-out 
upon the sea for the expected return of Fiesco, flattering 
themselves that every Indian canoe, gliding at a distance, 
might be the harbinger of deliverance. It was all in 
vain ; and at length they began to fear that their messen 
gers had perished. Some gradually sank into despond- 
ency ; others became peevish and impatient, and, in their 
unreasonable heat, railed at their venerable and infirm 
commander as the cause of all their misfortunes. 

Among the officers of Columbus were two brothers, 
Francisco and Diego Porras, relations of the royal treas- 
urer Morales. To gratify the latter, the admiral had ap- 
pointed one of them captain of a caravel, and the other 
notary and accountant-general of the expedition. They 
were vain and insolent men, and, like many others whom 
Columbus had benefited, requited his kindness with the 
blackest ingratitude. Mingling with the people, they 
assured them that Columbus had no intention of returning 
to Spain, having in reality been banished thence by the 



OF COLUMBUS. 239 

sovereigns. Hispaniola, they said, was equally closed 
against him, and it was his design to remain in Jamaica, 
until his friends could make interest at court to procure 
his recall. As to Mendez and Fiesco, they had been sent 
to Spain by Columbus on his own private concerns; if 
this were not the case, why did not the promised ship 
arrive ? or why did not Fiesco return ? Or, if the canoes 
had really been sent for succor, the long time that had 
elapsed, without tidings, gave reason to beheve that they 
had perished by the way. In such case, their only al- 
ternative would be to take Indian canoes, and endeavor 
to reach Hispaniola : but there was no hope of persuading 
the admiral to do this ; he was too old, and too infirm, to 
undertake such a voyage. 

By these insidious suggestions, they gradually prepared 
the people for revolt, assuring them of the protection of 
their own relatives in Spain, and of the countenance of 
Ovando and Fonseca, if not of the favor of the sovereigns 
themselves, who had shown their ill-will towards Colum- 
bus by stripping him of part of his dignities and privi- 
leges. 

On the 2d of January, 1504, the mutiny broke out 
Francisco Porras suddenly entered the cabin where Co- 
lumbus was confined to his bed by the gout, reproached 
him vehemently with keeping them in that desolate place 
to perish, and accused him of having no intention to re- 
turn to Spain. The admiral raised himself in bed, and, 
maintaining his calmness, endeavored to reason with the 
traitor ; but Porras was deaf to all argument. " Embark 
immediately, or remain, in God's name !" cried he, with 
a voice that resounded all over the wreck. "For my 
part, I am for Castile ! those who choose, may follow 



me 



I" 



This was the signal. "For Castile ! for Castile !" 
was heard on every side. The mutineers sprang upon 
the most conspicuous parts of the vessel, brandishing 
their weapons, and, amidst the uproar, the voices of some 
desperadoes were heard menacing the life of the admiral. 

Columbus, ill and infirm as he was, leaped out of bed, 
and tottered forth to pacify the mutineers, but was forced 



240 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

back into his cabin by some of his faithful adherents. 
The adelantado salhed forth lance in hand, and planted 
himself in a situation to take the whole brunt of the as- 
sault. It was with the greatest difficulty that several of 
the loyal part of the crew could restrain his fury, and 
prevail upon him to relinquish his weapon, and retire to 
the cabin of his brother. 

The mutineers, being entirely unopposed, took ten 
canoes, which the admiral had purchased from the In- 
dians ; others, who had not been concerned in the mutiny, 
joined them, through fear of remaining behind, when so 
reduced in number ; in this way, forty-eight abandoned 
the admiral. Many of the sick crawled forth from their 
cabins, and beheld their departure with tears and lament 
aiions, and would gladly have accompanied them, had 
their strength permitted. 

Porras coasted with his squadron of canoes to the 
eastward, landing occasionally and robbing the natives, 
pretending to act under the authority of Columbus, that 
he might draw on him their hostility. Arrived at the 
east end of the island, he procured several Indians to 
manage the canoes, and then set out on his voyage across 
the gulf. The Spaniards had scarcely proceeded four 
leagues, when the wind came ahead, with a swell of the 
sea that threatened to overwhelm the deeply laden canoes. 
They immediately turned for land, and, in their alarm, 
threw overboard the greater part of their effects. The 
danger stiU continuing, they drew their swords, and com- 
pelled most of the Indians to leap into the sea. The 
latter were skilful swimmers, but the distance to land was 
too great for their strength ; if, however, they at any time 
took hold of the canoes to rest themselves and recover 
breath, the Spaniards, fearful of their overturning the 
slight barks, would stab them, or cut off their hands. 
Some were thus slain by the sword ; others sunk exhaust- 
ed beneath the waves; eighteen perished miserably ; and 
none survived but a few who had been retained to man- 
age the canoes. 

Having reached the shore m safety, Porras and his 
men waited until the weather be<^anie favorable, and then 



OF COLUMBUS. . 241 

made another effort to cross to Hispaniola, but with no 
better success. They then abandoned the attempt in 
despair, and returned westward, towards the harbor, rov- 
ing from village to village, living upon the provisions of 
the Indians, which they took by force, if not readily 
given, and conducting themselves in the most licentious 
manner. If the natives remonstrated, they told them to 
seek redress at the hands of the admiral, whom, at the 
same time, they represented as the implacable foe of the 
Indian race, and bent upon gaining a tyrannical sway over 
their island. 

In the mean time, Columbus, when abandoned by the 
mutineers, and left in the wreck with a mere handful of 
sick and desponding men, exerted himself to the utmost 
to restore this remnant to an efficient state of health and 
spirits. He ordered that the small stock of biscuit which 
remained, and the most nourishing articles of the provis 
ions furnished by the Indians, should be appropriated to 
the invalids : he visited them, individually, cheered them 
W'ith hopes of speedy deliverance, and promised that on 
his return to Spain, he would intercede with the sover- 
eigns, that their loyalty might be munificently rewarded. 
In this way, by kind and careful treatment, and encour- 
aging words, he succeeded in restoring them from a state 
of sickness and despondency, and rendering them once 
more fit for service. 

Scarcely, however, had the little garrison of the wreck 
recovered from the shock of the mutiny, when it was men- 
aced by a new and appalling evil. The scanty number 
of the Spaniards prevented them from foraging abroad 
for provisions, and rendered them dependent on the vol- 
untary supplies of the natives. The latter began to grow 
negligent. The European trinkets, once so inestimable 
in their eyes, by becoming common, had sunk in value, 
and were almost treated with indiflerence. The arrange- 
ments made by Diego Mendez were irregularly attended 
to, and at length entirely disregarded. Many of the ca- 
ciques had been incensed by the conduct of Porras and 
his followers, which they supposed justified by the admi- 
ral : others had been secretly instigated bv (he lebels to 
21 [ 



242 . THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

withhold provisions, in hopes of starving Columbus and 
his people, or of driving them from the island. 

The horrors of famine began to threaten the terrified 
crew, when a fortunate idea presented itself to Colum- 
bus. From his knowledge of astronomy, he ascertained 
that within three days, there would be a total eclipse of 
the moon, in the early part of the night. He summoned, 
therefore, the principal caciques to a grand conference, 
appointing for it the day of the eclipse. When all were 
assembled, he told them, by his interpreter, that he and 
his followers were worshippers of a Deity, who lived in 
the skies, and held them under his protection. That 
this great Deity was incensed against the Indians, who 
had refused or neglected to furnish his faithful worship- 
pers with provisions, and intended to chastise them with 
famine and pestilence. Lest they should disbelieve this 
warning, a signal would be given that very night in the 
heavens. They would behold the moon change its col- 
or, and gradually lose its light ; a token of the fearful 
punishment which awaited them. 

Many of the Indians were alarmed at the solemnity of 
this prediction, others treated it with derision ; all, how- 
ever, awaited with solicitude the coming of the night. 
When they beheld a black shadow stealing over the 
moon, and a mysterious gloom gradually covering the 
whole face of nature, they were seized with the utmost 
consternation. Hurrying with provisions to the ships, 
and throwing themselves at the feet of Columbus, they 
implored him to intercede with his God, to withhold the 
threatened calamities, assuring him that thenceforth they 
would bring him whatever he required. Columbus re- 
tired to his cabin, under pretence of communing with 
the Deity, the forests and shores all the while resound- 
mg with the bowlings of the savages. He returned 
shordy, and informed the natives that the Deity had 
deigned to pardon them, on condition of their fulfilling 
their promises ; in sign of which he would withdraw the 
darkness from the moon. When the Indians saw that 
planet restored presently to its brightness, and rolling in 
all its beauty through the firmament, they overwhelmed 



OF COLUMBUS. 243 

the admiral with thanks for his intercession. They now 
regarded him with awe and reverence, as one in peculiar 
favor and confidence of the Deity, since he knew upon 
earth what was passing in the heavens. They hastened 
to propitiate him with gifts ; supplies again arrived daily 
at the harbor, and from that time forward there was no 
want of provisions. 



CHAPTER XLII. 

Arrival of Diego de Escobar at the Harbor. — Battle 
with the Rebels. [1504.] 

Eight months had now elapsed, since the departure 
of Mendez and Fiesco, yet no tidings had been received 
of their fate. The hopes of the most sanguine were 
nearly extinct, and many, considering themselves aban- 
doned and forgotten by the world, grew wild and despe- 
rate in their plans. Another conspiracy, similar to that 
of Porras, was on the point of breaking out, when, one 
evening, towards dusk, a sail was seen standing towards 
the harbor. It was a small caravel, which kept out at 
sea, and sent its boat on shore. In this came Diego de 
Escobar, one of the late confederates of Roldan, who 
had been condemned to death under the administration 
of Columbus, and pardoned by his successor, Bobadilla. 
There was bad omen in such a messenger. 

Escobar was the bearer of a mere letter of compli- 
ment and condolence from Ovando, accompanied by a 
barrel of wine and a side of bacon. The governor ex- 
pressed great concern at his misfortunes, and regret at 
not having in port a vessel of sufficient size to bring oft' 
himself and people, but promised to send one as soon as 
possible. Escobar drew oft" with the boat, and kept at a 
distance from the wreck, awaiting any letters the admiral 
might have to send in reply, and holding no conversation 



244 THE LIFE AND VOVAGES 

with any of the Spaniards. Columbus hastened to write 
to Ovando, depicting the horrors of his situation, and 
urging the promised rehef. As soon as Escobar received 
this letter, he returned on board of his caravel, which 
made all sail, and disappeared in the gathering gloom of 
the night. 

The mysterious conduct of Escobar caused great 
wonder and consternation among the people. Columbus 
sought to dispel their uneasiness, assuring them that ves- 
sels would soon arrive to take them away. In confidence 
of this, he said, he had declined to depart with Escobai", 
because his vessel was too small to take the whole, and 
had despatched him in such haste, that no time might be 
lost in sending the requisite ships. These assurances, 
and the certainty that their situation was known in San 
Domingo, cheered the hearts of the people, and put an 
end to the conspiracy. 

Columbus, however, was secretly indignant at the con- 
duct of Ovando, believing that he had purposely delayed 
sending relief, in the hopes that he would perish on the 
island, being apprehensive that, should he return in safety, 
he would be reinstated in the government of Hispaniola. 
He considered Escobar merely as a spy, sent by the 
governor to ascertain whether he and his crew were yet 
m existence. Still he endeavored to turn the event to 
some advantage with the rebels. He sent two of his peo- 
ple to inform them of the promise of Ovando to send ships 
for his relief, and he offered them a free pardon, and a 
passage to Hispaniola, on condition of their immediate 
return to obedience. 

On the approach of the ambassadors, Porras came 
forth to meet them, accompanied solely by a few of the 
ringleaders of his party, and prevented their holding any 
communication with the mass of his people. In reply 
to the generous offer of the admiral, they refused to re- 
turn to the wreck, but agreed to conduct themselves 
peaceably and amicably, on receiving a solemn promise 
that, should two vessels arrive, they should have one to 
depart in ; should but one arrive, the half of it should be 
granted to them : and that, in the mean time, the admiral 



OF COLUMBUS. 245 

should share with them the sea stores and articles of In- 
dian traffic which remained in his possession. When it 
was observed, that these demands were extravagant and 
inadmissible, they replied, thai if they were not peaceably 
conceded, they would take them by force ; and" with this 
menace they dismissed the ambassadors. 

The conference was not conducted so privately but 
that the rest of the rebels learnt the whole purport of 
the mission. Porras, seeing them moved by the offer of 
pardon and deliverance, resorted to the most desperate 
falsehoods to delude them. He told them that these ot 
fers of the admiral were all deceitful ; and that he only 
sought to get them into his power, that he might wreak 
on them his vengeance. As to the pretended caravel 
which had visited the harbor, he assured them that it was 
a mere phantasm, conjured up by the admiral, who was 
deeply versed in magic. In proof of this, he adverted 
to its arriving in the dusk of the evening ; its holding 
communication with no one but the admiral, and its sud- 
den disappearance in the night. Had it been a real cara- 
vel, the crew would have sought to converse with their 
countrymen ; the admiral, his son, and brother, would have 
eagerly embarked on board ; at any rate, it would have 
remained a little while in port, and not have vanished so 
suddenly and mysteriously. 

By these and similar delusions, Porras succeeded in 
working upon the feelings and credulity of his followers, 
and persuaded them that, if they persisted in their rebel- 
lion, they would ultimately triumph, and perhaps send 
home the admiral in irons, as had once before been done 
from Hispaniola. To involve them beyond hope of par- 
don, he marched them one day towards the harbor, with 
an intention of seizing upon the stores remaining in the 
wreck, and getting the admiral in his power. 

Columbus heard of their approach, but, being confined 
by his infirmities, sent Don Bartholomew to reason with 
them and endeavor to win them to obedience. The 
adelantado, who was generally a man rather of deeds 
than words, took with hun fifty men, well armed. Ar- 
riving near the rebels, he sent messengers to treat with 
21* 



246 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

them, but Porras forbade them to approach. The lat- 
ter cheered his followers, by pointing, with derision, to 
the pale countenances of their opponents, who were 
emaciated by recent sickness and long confinement in 
the wreck, whereas his men, for the most part, were 
hardy sailors, rendered robust by living in the open air 
He assured them the followers of the adelantado were 
mere household men, fair-weather troops, who could 
never stand before them. He did not reflect, that, with 
such men, pride and spirit often more than supply the 
place of bodily force ; and that his adversaries had the 
incalculable advantage of justice and law upon their side. 

Deluded by his words into a transient glow of courage, 
the rebels did not wait to be attacked, but rushed with 
shouts upon the enemy. Six of them had made a league 
to assault the adelantado, but were so well received that 
he laid several of them dead at his feet, among whom 
was Juan Sanchez, the same powerful mariner who had 
carried off the cacique Quibian. In the midst of the 
afiray, the adelantado was assailed by Francisco Por- 
ras, who, with a blow of his sword, cleft his buckler and 
wounded the hand which grasped it. The sword re- 
mained wedged in the shield ; and, before it could be with- 
drawn, the adelantado closed upon Porras, grappled him, 
and being assisted by others, succeeded in taking him 
prisoner. 

The rebels, seeing their leader a captive, fled in con- 
fusion, but were not pursued, through fear of an attack 
from the Indians, who had remained drawn up in battle 
array, gazing, with astonishment, at this fight between 
white men, but without offering to aid either party. The 
adelantado returned in triumph to the wreck, with Por- 
ras and several other prisoners. Only two of his own 
men had been wounded, one of whom died. On the fol- 
lowing day, the rebels sent in a letter to the admiral, signed 
by all their names, confessing all their misdeeds, implor- 
ing pardon, and making a solemn oath of obedience, and 
imprecating the most awful curses on their heads should 
they break it. The admiral saw, by the abject nature 
of the letter, how completely the spirit of these mis- 



OF COLUMBUS. 247 

guided men was broken ; with his wonted magnanimity 
he pardoned their offences, merely retaining their ring- 
leader, Francisco Porras, a prisoner, to be tried in Spain 
for his misdeeds. 



CHAPTER XLIII. 

Voyage of Diego <Mendez to Hispaniola. — Deliverance 
of Columbus from the Island of Jamaica. [1504.] 

It is proper here to give some account of the mission 
of Diego Mendez and Bartholomew Fiesco. When 
they had taken leave of the adelantado, at the east end 
of the island of Jamaica, they continued all day in a 
direct course ; there was no wind, the sky was without 
a cloud, and the sea, like a mirror, reflected the burning 
rays of the sun. The Indians, who paddled the canoes, 
would often leap into the water, to cool their glowing 
bodies, and refresh themselves from their toil. At the 
going down of the sun, they lost sight of land. During 
the night, the Indians took turns, one half to row while 
the others slept. The Spaniards, in like manner, divided 
their forces; while some took repose, the others sat with 
their weapons in their hands, ready to defend themselves, 
in case of any perfidy on the part of their savage com- 
panions. 

Watching and toiling in this way through the night, 
they were excessively fatigued on the following day ; 
and, to add to their distress, they began to experience 
the torments of thirst : for the Indians, parched with heat, 
had already drained the contents of their calabashes. In 
proportion as the sun rose, their misery increased, and 
was irritated by the prospect around them — nothing but 
water, while they were perishing with thirst. About 
mid-day, when their strength was failing them, the com- 
manders produced two small kegs of water, which they 



248 THE LIFE AND VOVAGES 

had probably reserved in secret for such an extremity. 
Administering a cooling mouthful occasionally, they en- 
abled the Indians to resume their toils. They held out 
the hopes of soon arriving at a small island, called Na- 
vasa, which lay directly in their way, about eight leagues 
distant from Hispaniola. Here they would find water to 
assuage their thirst, and would be able to take repose. 

The night closed upon them, without any sight of the 
island ; they feared that they had deviated from their 
course ; if so, they should miss the island entirely, and 
perish with thirst before they could reach Hispaniola. 
One of the Indians died of the accumulated sufierings of 
labor, heat, and raging thirst ; others lay panting and gasp- 
ing at the bottom of the canoes. Their companions were 
scarcely able to continue their toils. Sometimes they 
endeavored to cool their parched palates by taking sea 
water in their mouths ; but its briny bitterness only in- 
creased their thirst. One after another gave up, and it 
seemed impossible that they should live to reach His- 
paniola. 

The commanders, by admirable management, had 
hitherto kept up this weary struggle with suffering and 
despair; but they too began to despond. Diego Mendez 
sat watching the horizon, which was gradually lighting up 
with those faint rays which precede the rising of the 
moon. As that planet arose, he perceived it to emerge 
from behind a dark mass elevated above the level of the 
ocean. It proved to be the island of Navasa, but so 
low, and small, and distant, that, had it not been thus re- 
vealed by the rising moon, he would never have discov- 
ered it. He immediately gave the animating cry of 
"land." His almost expiring companions were roused 
to new life, and exerted themselves with feverish impa- 
tience. By the dawn of day they sprang on shore, and 
returned thanks to God for their deliverance. The isl- 
and was a mere barren mass of rocks, but they found 
abundance of rain-water in hollow places. The Span- 
iards exercised some degree of caution in their draughts, 
but the poor Indians, whose toils had increased the fever 
of their thirst, gave way to a kind of frantic indulgence 



OF COLUMBUS. 249 

of which several died upon the spot, and others fell dan- 
gerously ill. 

After reposing all day on the island, where they made 
a grateful repast upon shellfish gathered along the shore, 
they set off, in the evening, for Hispaniola, the mountains 
of which were distinctly visible, and arrived at Cape 
Tiburon on the following day, the fourth since their de- 
parture from Jamaica. Fiesco would now have returned 
to give the admiral assurance of the safe arrival of his 
messenger, but both Spaniards and Indians refused to 
encounter the perils of another voyage in the canoes. 

Parting with his companions, Diego Mendez took six 
Indians of the island, and set oft' for San Domingo. 
After proceeding for eighty leagues against the currents, 
he was informed that the governor had departed for Xa- 
ragua, fifty leagues distant. Still undaunted by fatigues 
and difficulties, he abandoned the canoe, and proceeded 
alone, on foot, through forests and over mountains, until 
he arrived at Xaragua, achieving one of the most perilous 
expeditions ever undertaken by a devoted follower for 
the safety of his commander. 

He found Ovando completely engrossed by wars with 
the natives. The governor expressed great concern at 
the unfortunate situation of Columbus, and promised to 
send him immediate relief; but Mendez remained for 
seven months at Xaragua, vainly urging for that relief, or 
for permission to go to San Domingo in quest of it. The 
constant excuse of Ovando was, that there were not ships 
of sufficient burden in the island to bring off Columbus 
and his men. At length, by daily importunity, Mendez 
obtained permission to go to San Domingo, and await 
the arrival of certain ships which were expected. He 
immediately set out on foot ; the distance was seventy 
leagues, and part of his toilsome journey lay through for- 
ests and mountains, infested by hostile and exasperated 
Indians. Immediately after his departure, Ovando de- 
spatched from Xaragua the pardoned rebel, Escobar, on 
that reconnoitering visit, which caused so much wonder 
and suspicion among the companions of Columbus. 

If the governor had really entertained hopes that, dur- 



250 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

ing the delay of relief, Columbus might perish in the 
island, the report brought back by Escobar must have 
completely disappointed him. No time was now to be 
lost, if he wished to claim any merit in his deliverance, 
or to avoid the disgrace of having totally neglected him. 
His long delay had already roused the public indignation, 
insomuch that animadversions had been made upon his 
conduct, even in the pulpits. Diego Mendez, also, had 
hired and victualled a vessel at the expense of Colum- 
bus, and was on the point of despatching it. The gov- 
ernor, therefore, exerted himself, at the eleventh hour, 
and fitted out a caravel, which he put under the command 
of Diego de Salcedo, the agent employed by Columbus 
to collect his rents in San Domingo. It was these two 
vessels which arrived at Jamaica shortly after the battle 
with Porras, and brought relief to the admiral and his 
faithful adherents, after a long year of dismal confinement 
to the wreck.* 

On the 28th of June, all the Spaniards embarked, 
friend and foe, on board of the vessels, and made sail 
joyfully for San Domingo ; but, from adverse winds and 
currents, they did not arrive there until the 13th of Au- 
gust. Whatever lurking enmity there might be to Co- 
lumbus in the place, it was overpowered by popular sym- 

* Some brief notice of the furtlier fortunes of Diego IMendez may be 
mteresting to the reader. 

When King Ferdinand heard of his faithful services, he bestowed re- 
wards upon him, and permitted him to boar a canoe in his coat of arms, 
as a memento of his hardy enterprise. He continued devotedly attached 
to the admiral, serving him zealously after his return to Spain, and dur- 
ing his last illness. Columbus retained a grateful and affectionate sense 
of his fidelity. On his death-bed, he promised Mendez that he should 
be appointed principal alguazil of the island of Hispaniola. The prom- 
ise, however, was not performed by the heirs of Columbus. Mendez 
was afterwards engaged in various voyages of discovery, met with 
many vicissitudes, and died poor. In his last will, he requested that his 
armorial bearing of an Indian canoe should be engraved on his tomb- 
stone, and under it the following words: "Here lies the honorable 
Cavalier, Diego Mendez ; who served greatly the royal crown of Spain, 
in the conquest of the Indies, with Admiral Christopher Columbus, of 
glorious memorj% who made the discovery ; and afterwards by himself, 
in ships at his own cost Bestow, in charity, a paternoster and an ave- 
maria." 



OF COLUMBUS. 251 

pathy for his late disasters. Whatever had been denied 
to his merits was granted to his misfortunes ; and even 
the envious, appeased by his present reverses, seemed to 
forgive him for having once been so triumphant. 

The governor and the principal inhabitants came forth 
to meet him, and received him with signal distinction. 
He was lodged in the house of Ovando, who treated him 
with the utmost courtesy and attention ; but tliere were 
too deep causes of jealousy and distrust between them, 
for their intercourse to be cordial. Their powers, too, 
were so defined in their several patents, as to clash with 
each other, and to cause questions of jurisdiction. Ovan- 
do assumed a right to take cognizance of all transactions 
at Jamaica, as happening within the limits of his gov- 
ernment. He set at liberty the traitor Porras, and talked 
of punishing the followers of Columbus for the deaths of 
the mutineers whom they had slain in battle. Colum- 
bus, on the other hand, asserted the absolute jurisdiction 
given him by the sovereigns, in his letter of instructions, 
over all persons who had sailed in his expedition, from 
the time of their departure from Spain until their return. 
The governor heard him with great courtesy and a smil- 
ing countenance, but observed, that the letter gave him 
no authority within the bounds of his government. He 
relinquished the idea, however, of trying the faithful ad- 
herents of Columbus, and sent Porras to Spain, to be 
examined by the board which had charge of the affairs 
of the Indies. 



CHAPTER XLIV. 

Jljjairs at Hispaniola, during the Jldministration of 
Ovando. — Return of Columbus to Spain. [1504.] 

The sojourn of Columbus at San Domingo was but 
little calculated to yield him satisfaction. He was grieved 



252 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

at the desolation of the island, through the oppressive 
treatment of the natives, and the horrible massacres which 
had taken place under the administration of Ovando. And 
here let us turn for a moment from pursuing the story 
of the admiral, to notice some of the principal c-ccur- 
rences which had taken place in Hispaniola during his 
absence. 

A great crowd of adventurers, of various ranks., had 
thronged the fleet of Ovando, all confidently expecting 
to make sudden fortunes. They had scarcely landed, 
when they all hurried off to the mines, which were about 
eight leagues distant. The road swarmed hke an ant- 
hill. Every one had his knapsack of biscuit and flour, 
and his mining implements on his shoulder. Those hi- 
dalgos, or gentlemen, who had no servants to carry their 
burdens, were fain to bear them on their own backs, and 
lucky was he who had a horse for the expedition, for he 
would be able to bring back the greater load of treasure. 
They all set otT in high spirits, eager who should first 
reach the golden land ; thinking they had but to arrive at 
the mines, and gather gold, as easily and readily as fruit 
from the trees. When they arrived, however, they 
found, to their dismay, that it required experience to dis- 
cover the veins of ore ; that the whole process of mining 
was exceedingly slow and toilsome, and its results pic- 
carious. 

They digged eagerly for a time, but found no ore ; 
growing hungry, they threw by their implements, ^at 
down to eat, and then returned to work. It was all in 
vain. "Their labor," says Las Casas, " gave them a 
keen appetite and quick digestion, but no gold." They 
soon exhausted their provisions and their patience, and 
returned murmuring along the road they had lately trod 
so exultingly. They arrived at San Domingo half fam- 
ished, downcast, and despairing. Such is too often the 
case of those who ignoranlly engage in mining ; which, of 
all objects of speculation, is the most brilliant, promising, 
and fallacious. Poverty soon fell upon these misguided 
meh. Some wasted away, and died broken-hearted ; 
others were hurried off by raging fevers ; so that tliere 
soon perished upwards of a llidii-^nnd men. 



OF COLUMBUS. 253 

Ovando was reputed a man of great prudence and sa- 
gacity, and he certainly took several judicious measures 
for the regulation of the island and the relief of the colo- 
nists ; but his policy was fatal to the natives. When he had 
been sent out to supersede Bobadilla, the queen, shocked 
at the cruel bondage which had been inflicted on the In- 
dians, had pronounced them all free. The consequence 
was, they immediately refused to labor in the mines. 

Ovando, in 1503, represented, that this entire liberty 
granted to the natives was not merely ruinous to the colo- 
ny, but detrimental to themselves, as it produced habits 
of idleness, profligacy, and neglect of all religion. The 
sovereigns permitted, therefore, that they should be 
obliged to labor moderately, if essential to their well- 
being, but that they should be paid regularly and fairly, 
and instructed in religion on certain days, and that all 
compulsory measures should be tempered with persua- 
sion and kindness. Under cover of this hired labor, thus 
intended for the health of soul and body, more intolera- 
ble toll was exacted from them, and more horrible cru- 
elties Inflicted, than in the worst days of Bobadilla. 
Many perished from hunger, or sank under the lash ; 
many killed themselves in despair ; and even mothers 
overcame the powerful instinct of nature, and destroyed 
the infants at their breasts, to spare them a life of wretch- 
edness. Even those who survived the exacted terms of 
labor, and were permitted to return to their homes, which 
were often sixty and eighty leagues distant, were dis- 
missed so worn down by toil and hardship, and so scanti- 
ly furnished with provisions, that they perished by the 
way. Some sank down and died by the side of a brook, 
others under the shade of a tree, where they had crawled 
for shelter from the sun. "I have found many dead on 
the road," says the venerable Bishop Las Casas ; " oth- 
ers gasping under the trees, and others in the pangs of 
death, faintly crying, hunger ! hunger !" 

The wars of Ovando were equally desolating. To 

punish a slight insurrection in the province of Higuey, at 

the eastern end of the island, he sent his troops, who 

ravaged the country with fire and sword, showed no mer- 

22 I. 



254 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

cy to age or sex, put many to death with the most wan- 
ton, ingenious, and lionible tortures, and brought off the 
brave Cotabanaina, one of the five sovereign caciques of 
the island, in chains to San Domingo, where he was igno- 
miniously hanged by Ovando for the crime of defending 
his territory and his native soil against usurping strangers. 

But the most atrocious act of Ovando, and one that 
must heap odium on his name wherever the woes of the 
gentle natives of Hayti create an interest, was the pun- 
ishment he inflicted on the province of Xaragua for a 
pretended conspiracy. The exactions of tribute, in this 
once happy and hospitable province, had caused occasion- 
al quarrels between the inferior caciques and the Span- 
iards ; these were magnified by alarmists, and Ovando 
was persuaded that there was a deep-laid plot among the 
natives to rise upon their oppressors. He immediately 
set out for Xaragua, at the head of nearly four hundred 
wcllarmed soldiers, seventy of whom were steel-clad 
horsemen. He gave out that he was going on a visit of 
friendship, to make arrangements about the payment of 
tribute. 

Behechio, the ancient cacique of the province, was 
dead, and his sister, Anacaona, had succeeded to the 
government. She came forth to meet Ovando, accord- 
ing to the custom of her nation, attended by her most 
distinguished subjects, and her train of damsels, waving 
palm branches, and dancing to the cadence of their 
popular areytos. All her principal caciques had been 
assembled to do honor to her guests, who for several 
days were entertained with banquets and national games 
and dances. In return for these exhibitions, Ovando 
invited Anacaona, with her beautiful daughter Higuena- 
mota, and her principal subjects, to witness a tilting match 
by the cavalry in the public square. When all were as- 
sembled, the square crowded with unarmed Indians, Ovan- 
do gave a signal, and instantly the horsemen rushed into 
the midst of the naked and defenceless throng, trampling 
them under foot, cutting them down with their swords, 
transfixing them with their lances, and sparing neither 
age nor sex. Above eighty caciques had been assembled 



OF COLUMBUS. 255 

in one of the principal houses. It was surrounded by 
troops, the caciques were bound to the posts which sup- 
ported the roof, and put to cruel tortures, until, in the 
extremity of anguish, they were made to admit the truth 
of the plot with which their queen and themselves had 
been charged. When self-accusation had thus been tor- 
tured from them, a horrible punishment was immediately 
inflicted; fire was set to the house, and they all perished 
miserably in the flames. 

As to Anacaona, she was carried to San Domingo, 
where the mockery of a trial was given her, in which she 
was found guilty, on the confessions, wrung by torture 
from her subjects, and on the testimony of their butchers, 
and she was barbarously hanged, by the people whom 
she had so long and so signally befriended. 

After the massacre at Xaragua, the destruction of its 
inhabitants still went on; they were hunted for six months 
amidst the fastnesses of the mountains, and their country 
ravaged by horse and foot, until, all being reduced to de- 
plorable misery and abject submission, Ovando pro 
nounced the province restored to order, and, in com- 
memoration of his triumph, founded a town near the lake, 
which he called Santa Maria de la Verdadera Paz, (St. 
Mary of the True Peace.) 

Such was the tragical fate of the beautiful Anacaona, 
once extolled as the Golden Flower of Hayti ; and such 
the story of the delightful region of Xaragua ; a place 
which the Europeans, by their own account, found a per- 
fect paradise, but which, by their vile passions, they filled 
with horror and desolation. 

These are but brief and scanty anecdotes of the ruth- 
less system which had been pursued, during the absence 
of the admiral, by the commander Ovando, this man of 
boasted prudence and moderation, who had been sent to 
reform the abuses of the island, and, above all, to redress 
the wrongs of the natives. The system of Columbus 
may have borne hard upon the Indians, born and brought 
up as they were in untasked freedom, but it was never 
cruel or sanguinary. He had fondly hoped, at one time, 
to render them civilized, industrious, and tributary sub» 



256 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

jects to the crown^ zealous converts to the faith, and to 
derive from their regular tributes a great and steady rev- 
enue. How different had been the event ! The five 
great tribes, which had peopled the .mountains and the 
valleys, at the time of the discovery, and had rendered 
by their mingled villages and hamlets, and tracts of cul- 
tivation, the rich levels of the vegas so many "painted 
gardens," had almost all passed away, and the native prin- 
ces had perished, chiefly by violent and ignominious deaths. 
"I am informed," said he, in a letter to the sovereigns, 
"that, since 1 left this island, six parts out of seven of 
the natives are dead, all through ill-treatment and inhu- 
manity ; some by the sword, others by blows and cruel 
usage, others through hunger; the greater part have per- 
ished in the mountains, whither they had fled, from not 
being able to support the labor imposed upon them." 

He found his own immediate concerns in great confu- 
sion. His rents and arrears were either uncollected, or 
he could not obtain a clear account and a full liquidation 
of them ; and he complained that Ovando had impeded 
his agents in their management of his concerns. The 
continual misunderstandings which took place between 
him and the governor, though ahvays qualified on the part 
of the latter with courtly complaisance, induced Colum- 
bus to hasten his departure. He caused the ship in 
which he had returned from Jamaica to be repaired and 
fitted out, and another hired, in which he offered a pas- 
sage to such of his late crew as chose to return. The 
greater part preferred to remain in San Domingo : as 
they were in great poverty, he relieved their necessities 
from his own purse, and advanced money to those who 
accompanied him, for the expenses of their voyage. All 
the funds he could collect, were exhausted in these dis- 
bursements, and many of the men, thus relieved by his 
generosity, had been among the most violent of the 
rebels. 

On the 12th of September, he set sail; but had scarcely 
left the harbor, when the mast of his ship was carried 
away in a sudden squall. He embarked, therefore, with 
his family, in the other vessel, rommnnded by the ade 



OF COLUMBUS. 257 

lantado, and sent back the damaged ship to port. For- 
tune continued to persecute him to the end of this his 
last and most disastrous expedition. Throughout the voy- 
age, he experienced tempestuous weather, suffering, at 
the same time, the excruciating torments of the gout, until, 
on the 7th of November, his crazy and shattered bark 
anchored in the harbor of San Lucar. From thence he 
proceeded to Seville, to enjoy a little tranquillity of mind 
and body, and to recruit his health after his long series 
of fatigues, anxieties, and hardships. 



CHAPTER XLV. 

Fruitless ^Application of Columbus to be reinstated in his 
Government. — His last Illness and Death. [1504.] 

The residence of Columbus, during the winter, at Se- 
vdle, has generally been represented as an interval of 
repose: never was honorable repose more merited, more 
desired, and less enjoyed. Care and sorrow were des- 
tined to follow him, by sea and land ; and in varying the 
scene, he but varied the nature of his afflictions. Ever 
since his memorable arrest by Bobadilla, his affairs had 
remained in confusion, and his rents and dues had been 
but partially and irregularly collected, and were detained 
in intermediate hands. The last voyage had exhausted 
his finances, and involved him in embarrassments. All 
that he had been able to collect of the money due to him 
in Hispaniola, had been expended in bringing home many 
of his late crew, and, for the greater part, the crown re- 
mained his debtor. The world thought him possessed of 
countless wealth, while in fact he was suffering a degree 
of penury. 

In letters, written at this time, to his son Diego, he re 
peatedly urges to him the necessity of practising extreme 
economy until the arrears due to him should dp- paid 
22* 



258 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

" I receive nothing of the revenue due to me," says he, 
on another occasion, "but live by borrowing. Little 
have I profited by twenty years of toils and perils, since 
at present I do not own a roof in Spain. I have no resort, 
but an inn; and, for the most times, have not wherewithal 
to pay my bill." 

Being unable, from his infirmities, to go to court, he 
had to communicate with the sovereigns by letter, or 
through the intervention of friends, and exerted himself 
strenuously, but ineffectually, to draw their attention to 
the disastrous state of Hispaniola under the administra- 
tion of Ovando, to obtain the restitution of his honors, 
and the payment of his arrears, and what seemed to lay 
equally near his heart, to obtain relief for his unfortunate 
seamen. 

His letters were unregarded, or at least unanswered ; 
his claims remained unsatisfied ; and a cold indifference 
and neglect appeared to prevail towards him. All the 
tidings from the court filled him with uneasiness. Porras, 
the ringleader of the late faction, had been sent home by 
Ovando to appear before the council of the Indies, but 
the official documents in his cause had not arrived. He 
went at large, and being related to Morales the royal 
treasurer, had access to people in place, and an oppor- 
tunity of enlisting their opinions and prejudices on his 
side. Columbus began to fear that the violent scenes 
in Jamaica might, by the perversity of his enemies and 
the effrontery of the delinquents, be wrested into matters 
of accusation against him, as had been the case with the 
rebellion of Roldan. The faithful and indefatigable 
Diego Mendez was at this lime at court, and he trusted 
to his honest representations to counteract the falsehoods 
of Porras. Nothing can surpass the affecting earnestness 
and sim[)licity with which, in one of his letters, he de- 
clares his loyalty. " I have served their majesties," 
says he, " with as much zeal and diligence as if it had 
been to gain Paradise, and if I have failed in any thing, 
it has been because my knowledge and powers went no 
further." Whilst reading this touching appeal, we can 
Bcarcely realize the fact, that it should be written by Co- 



OF COLUMBUS. 259 

lumbus; the same extraordiaary man, who, but a few years 
before, had been idoh'zed at this court as a benefactor, 
and received with almost royal honors. 

His anxiety to have a personal interview with the sov- 
ereigns became every day more intense; he felt the ineffi- 
cacy of letter writing, and, indeed, even that resource 
began to fail him, for the severity of his malady for a 
great part of the time deprived him of the use of his 
hands. He made repeated attempts to set oft' for the 
court ; a litter was once actually at the door to convey 
him thither, but his increasing infirmities, and the inclem- 
ency of the season, obliged him to abandon the journey. 
In the mean time, the intrigues of his enemies appeared 
to be prevailing ; the cold-hearted Ferdinand treated all 
his applications with indifterence; on the justice and mag- 
nanimity of Isabella, alone, he relied for the redress of his 
grievances, but she lay dangerously ill. "May it please 
the Holy Trinity," says he, "to restore our sovereign 
queen to health ; for by her will every thing be adjusted 
which is now in confusion." Alas ! while writing that 
letter, his noble benefactress was a corpse ! 

The health of Isabella had long been undermined by 
repeated shocks of domestic calamities. The death of 
her only son, the Prince Juan ; of her beloved daughter, 
and bosom friend, the Princess Isabella ; and of her grand- 
son and prospective heir, the Prince Miguel, had been 
three cruel wounds to her maternal heart. To these, 
were added the constant grief caused by the infirmity of 
intellect of her daughter Juana, and the domestic unhap- 
piness of that princess with her husband the Archduke 
Philip. The desolation which walks through palaces, 
admits not the familiar sympathies and sweet consolations 
which alleviate the sorrows of common life. Isabella 
pined in state, amidst the obsequious homage of a court, 
surrounded by the trophies of a glorious and successful 
reign, and placed at the summit of earthly grandeur. A 
deep" and incurable melancholy settled upon her, which 
undermined her constitution, and gave a fatal acuteness 
to her bodily maladies. After four months of illness, she 
died, on the 26th of November, 1504, at Medina del 



260 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

Cainpo, in the fifty-lour tli year of her age; but long bel'ore 
her eyes closed upon the world, her heart had closed 
upon all its pomps and vanities. "Let my body," said 
she, in her will, " be interred in the monastery of San 
Francisco, in the Alhambra of the city of Granada, in a 
low sepulchre, with no other monument than a plain 
stone, and an inscription. But I desire and command, 
that if the king, my lord, should choose a sepulchre in 
any church or monastery, in any other part or place of 
these my kingdoms, that my body be transported thither, 
and buried beside the body of his highness ; so that the 
union we have enjoyed while living, and which, through 
the mercy of God, we hope our souls will experience 
in heaven, may be represented by our bodies in the 
earth."* 

Such was one of several passages in the will of this 
admirable woman, which bespoke the chastened humility 
of her heart, and in which, as has been well observed, 
the affections of conjugal love were delicately entwined 
with fervent religion and the most tender melancholy. 
She was one of the purest spirits that ever ruled over 
the destinies of a nation. Had she been spared, her be- 
nignant vigilance would have prevented many a scene of 
horror in the colonization of the new world, and might 
have softened the lot of its native inhabitants. As it is, 
her fair name will ever shine with celestial radiance in 
the early dawning of its history. 

The news of the death of Isabella reached Columbus 
while he was writing a letter to his son. He notices it 
in a postscript or memorandum, written in the haste and 
brevity of the moment, but in beautifully touching and 
mournful terms. "A memorial," he writes, "for thee, 
my dear son Diego, of what is at present to be done. 
The. principal thing is to commend affectionately, and 

*The dying conmiand of Isabella lias been obeyed. 'I'he author of 
this work has seen her tomb in the royal chapel of the cathedral of 
Granada, in which her remains are interred with those of Ferdinand. 
Their elRgies, sculptured in white marble, lie side by side, on a mag- 
nificent sepulchre. The altar of the chapel is adorned with bas reliefs, 
represen' ing the conquest and surrender of Granada. 



OF COLUMBUS. 261 

w'lih ^1 eat devotion, the soul of the queen, our sovereign, 
to God. Her life was always cathoHc and pious, and 
prompt to all things in his holy service ; for this reason 
we may lest assured that she is received into his glory, 
and beyond the cares of this rough and weary world. 
The next thing is, to watch and labor in all matters for 
the service of our sovereign, the king, and to endeavor 
to alleviate his grief. His majesty is the head of Chris- 
tendom. Remember the proverb, which says, when the 
head suffers, all the members suffer. Therefore all good 
Christians should pray for his heaUh and long hfe ; and 
we, who are in his employ, ought more than others to do 
this with all study and diligence." 

It is impossible to read this letter without being moved 
by the simply eloquent yet artless language in which Co- 
lumbus expresses his tenderness for the memory of his 
benefactress, his weariness under the gathering cares and 
ills of life, and his persevering and enduring loyalty to- 
wardij the sovereign who was so ungratefully neglecting 
him. 

Th^ death of Isabella was a fatal blow to his fortunes 
While she lived, he had every thing to anticipate from 
her hi&,h sense of justice, her regard for her royal word, 
her gratitude for his services, and her admiration of his 
character. With her illness, however, his interests had 
languished; and when she died, he was left to the justice 
and generosity of Ferdinand! 

During the remainder of the winter, and a great part 
of the spring, he remained at Seville, detained by pain- 
ful illness. His brother, the adelantado, who supported 
him with his accustomed fondness and devotion through 
all his trials, proceeded to court to attend to his concerns, 
taking with him the admiral's younger son, Fernando, 
then aged about seventeen. The latter the affectionate 
father repeatedly represents to his son Diego, as a man 
in understanding and conduct, though but a stripling in 
years, and inculcates the strongest fraternal attachment: 
alluding to his own brethren with one of those warm and 
affecting touches, which speak the kindness of his heart. 
" To thy brother conduct thyself as the elder brother 



1 



2ti2 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

should unto the younger. Thou hast no other, and 1 
praise God that this is such a one as thou dost need. 
Ten brothers would not be too many for thee. jNever 
have I found a better friend, to right or left, than my 
brothers." 

Among the persons whom Columbus employed, at this 
time, in his missions to the court, was Amerigo Ves- 
pucci. He describes him as a wortliy but unfortunate man, 
who had not profited as much as he deserved by his un- 
dertakings, and who had always been disposed to rendei 
him service. 

It w'as not until the month of May, that Columbus was 
able to accomplish his journey to court, which was at 
that time at Segovia. He, who but a few years before 
had entered the city of Barcelona in triumph, attended 
by the chivalry of Spain, and hailed with rapture by the 
multitude, now arriv ed at the gates of Segovia, a way- 
worn, melancholy, and neglected man ; oppressed eveii 
more by sorrows than by his years and infirmities- 
When he presented himself at court, he was made lam- 
entably sensible of the loss of his protectress, the be- 
nignant Isabella. He met with none of that distinguished 
attention, that cordial kindness, that cherishing sympa- 
thy, which his unparalleled services and his recent 
sufferings had merited. Ferdinand, it is true, received 
him with many professions of kindness ; but with those 
cold, ineffectual smiles, which pass like wintry sunshine 
over the countenance, and convey no warmth to the 
heart. 

Many months were passed by Columbus in painful and 
humiliating solicitation. His main object was to obtain 
the restitution of his high offices as viceroy and governor 
of the Indies: as to the mere pecuniary claims for reve 
nues and arrears, he considered them of minor import- 
ance, and nobly offered to leave them to the disposition 
of the king ; but his official dignities belonged to his repu- 
tation ; they had been granted, also, by solemn treaty, and 
were not to be made a matter of arbitrament. As the 
latter, however, were precisely the claims which the 
'ealous monarch was the least disposed to grant, they 



OF COLUMBUS. 263 

stood continually in the way of all arrangement. The 
whole matter was at one time referred to a tribunal, called 
the " Junta de Descargos," which had charge of the 
settlement of the affairs of the late queen, but nothing 
resulted from their deliberations; the wishes of the king 
were too well known to be thwarted. 

Columbus endeavored to bear these delays with pa- 
tience ; but he had no longer the physical strength, and 
the glorious anticipations, which had once sustained him 
through his long application at this court. He was again 
confined to his bed by a return of the gout, aggravated 
by the irritations of his spirit. From this couch of an- 
guish, he addressed one more appeal to the justice of the 
king. He no longer petitioned for himself, but for his 
son Diego. He entreated that he might be appointed in 
his place to the government of which he had been so 
wrongfully deprived. " This," said he, " is a matter 
which concerns my honor ; as to all the rest, do as your 
majesty thinks proper ; give or withhold, as may be most 
for your interest, and I shall be content. I believe it is 
the anxiety caused by the delay of this affair, which is the 
principal cause of my ill health." 

This petition was treated by Ferdinand with his usual 
evasions ; he endeavored to prevail upon Columbus and 
his son to waive their claims to paramount dignities in 
the new world, and accept, in place thereof, titles and 
estates in Castile. Columbus rejected all proposals of 
the kind with indignation, as calculated to compromise 
those titles which were the trophies of his achievements. 
He saw, however, that all further hope of redress from 
Ferdinand was vain. From the bed to which he was 
confined, he addressed a letter to his constant friend, 
Diego de Deza, then archbishop of Seville, expressive 
of his despair. " It appears," said he, " that his majesty 
does not think fit to fulfil that, which he, with the queen 
who is now in glory, promised me by word and seal. 
For me to contend to the contrary, would be to contend 
with the wind. I have done all that I could do. I leave 
the rest to God, whom I have ever found propitious to 
me in my necessities." 



264 THK LIFE AND VOYAGES 

In the midst of illness and despondency, when boih 
life and hope were expiring in the bosom of Columbus, 
a new gleam was awakened, and blazed up for the moment 
with characteristic fervor. He heard with joy of the 
arrival from Flanders of Kmg Philip and Queen Juana, 
to take possession of their throne of Castile. In the 
daughter of Isabella, he trusted to find a patroness and a 
friend. King Ferdinand and all the court repaired to 
Loredo, to receive the youthful sovereigns. Columbus 
sent his brother, the adelantado, to represent him, and 
wrote a letter to the king and queen, lamenting his being 
prevented by illness from coming in person to manifest 
his devotion. He expressed a hope, that he should re- 
ceive at their hands a restitution of his honors and estates ; 
and assured them that, though cruelly tortured at present 
by disease, he would yet be able to render them services, 
the like of which had never been witnessed. 

Such was the last sally of his sanguine and unconquera- 
ble spirit; which, disregarding age and infirmities, and all 
past sorrows and disappointments, spoke from his dying 
bed with all the confidence of youthful hope, and talked 
of still greater enterprises, as if he had a long and vigor- 
ous life before him. The adelantado took an affectionate 
leave of his brother, whom he was never to behold again, 
and set out on his mission to the new sovereigns. He 
experienced the most gracious reception, and flattering 
hopes were given him that the claims of the admiral would 
speedily be satisfied. 

In the mean-time, the cares and troubles of Columbus 
were drawing to a close. The transient fire which had 
recently reanimated him was soon quenched by accumu- 
lating infirmities. Immediately after the departure of 
the adelantado, his illness increased in violence. Find- 
ing that his end was approaching, he arranged all his 
earthly affairs, for the benefit of his successors. In a 
codicil made on the eve of his decease, he enforced his 
original testament, constituting his son Diego his univer- 
sal heir, entailing his honors and estates on the male line 
of his family, and providing for his brothers Don Bar- 
tholomew and Don Diego, and his natural son Don 



OF COLUMBUS. 265 

Fernando. In his will he enjoined that a portion of his 
revenues should be annually deposited in the bank of St. 
George, at Genoa, until a sufficient sum should be accu- 
mulated to set on foot a crusade to the Holy Land ; for 
the rescue of the holy sepulchre was, to the last, the great 
object of his ambhion, and he left a solemn charge upon 
his heirs to aid personally in the pious enterprise. Other 
provisions were made for the foundation of churches — 
the support of Beatrix Enriquez, the mother of Fernando 
— the relief of his poor relations, and the payment of the 
most trivial debts. 

Having thus scrupulously attended to all the claims of 
affection, loyalty, and justice, upon earth, he turned his 
thoughts to heaven, confessing himself, partaking of the 
holy sacrament, and complying with the other ceremo- 
nies of a devout Catholic. In his last moments, he was 
attended by his son Diego, and a few faithful followers, 
among whom was Bartholomew Fiesco, who had accom- 
panied Diego Mendez in the perilous expedition from 
Jamaica to Hispaniola. Surrounded by these devoted 
friends, he expired, with great resignation, on the 20th 
of May, 1506, being about seventy years of age. His 
last words were, "In manus tuas, Domine, commendo 
spiritum meum." " Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend 
my spirit." 



CHAPTER XLVI. 

Observations on the Character of Columbus. 

Columbus was a man of great and inventive geniub. 
The operations of his mind were energetic, but irregular, 
bursting forth, at times, with that irresistibls force which 
characterizes intellects of such an order. His ambition 
was lofty and noble, inspiring him with high thoughts, and 
an anxiety to distinguish himself by great achievements 
23 I. 



.2(36 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

He aimed at dignity and wealth in the same elevated 
spirit with which he sought renown ; they were to rise 
fram the territories he should discover, and be commen- 
surate in importance. The vast gains that he anticipated 
from his discoveries, he intended to appropriate to prince- 
ly purposes ; to institutions for the relief of the poor of 
his native city, to the foundation of churches, and, above 
all, to crusades for the recovery of the holy sepulchre. 

He was tenacious of his rank and privileges, not 
from a mere vulgar love of titles, but because he prized 
them as testimonials and trophies of his illustrious deeds. 
Every question of compromise concerning them, he re- 
pulsed with disdain. "These things," said he, nobly, 
"concern my honor." In his testament, he enjoined 
on his son Diego, and whomsoever after him should in- 
herit his estates, whatever other titles might be granted 
by the king, always to sign himself, simply, " The Admi- 
ral," by way of perpetuating in the family the source of 
its real greatness. 

His conduct was characterized by the grandeur of his 
views, and the magnanimity of his spirit. Instead of 
ravaging the newly-found countries, like many of his con- 
temporary discoverers, who were intent only on imme- 
diate gain, he regarded them with the eyes of a legisla- 
tor; he sought to colonize and cultivate them, to civilize 
the natives, to subject every thing to the control of law, 
order, and religion, and thus to found regular and pros- 
perous empires. That he failed in this, was the fault of 
the dissolute rabble which it was his misfortune to com- 
mand, with whom all law was tyranny, and all order op- 
pression. 

He was naturally irritable and impetuous, and keenly 
sensible to injury and injustice ; yet the quickness of his 
temper was counteracted by the benevolence and gener- 
osity of his heart. The magnanimity of his nature shone 
icr'h through all the troubles of his stormy career. 
Though crntinuallv outraged in his dignity, braved in his 
authority, foilea in his plans, and endangered in his per- 
son, by the seditions of turbulent and worthless men, and 
fhatj too, at limes when suft'ernig under anguish of body 



OF COLUMBUS. 267 

and anxiety of mind, enough to exasperate tlie most pa- 
tient, yet he restrained his vahant and indignant spirit, 
and brought himself to forbear, and reason, and even to 
supphcate. Nor should we fail to notice how free he 
was from all feeling of revenge, how ready to forgive and 
forget on the least signs of repentance and atonement. 
He has been extolled for his skill in controlling others, 
but far greater praise is due to him for the firmness he 
displayed in governing himself. 

His piety was genuine and fervent ; religion mingled 
with the -whole course of his thoughts and actions, and 
shone forth in his most private and unstudied writings. 
Whenever he made any great discovery, he devoutly 
returned thanks to God. The voice of prayer and the 
melody of praise rose from his ships on discovering the 
new world, and his first action on landing was to pros- 
trate himself upon the earth, and oifer up thanksgivings. 
Every evening, the Salve Regina^ and other vesper 
hymns, were chanted by his crew, and masses were per- 
formed in the beautiful groves that bordered the wild 
shores of this heathen land. All his great enterprises 
were undertaken in the name of the Holy Trinity, and 
he partook of the holy sacrament previous to embarka- 
tion. He observed the festivals of the Church in the 
wildest situations. The sabbath was to him a day of sa- 
cred rest, on which he would never sail from a port un- 
less in case of extreme necessity. The religion, thus 
deeply seated in his soul, diffused a sober dignity, and a 
benign composure, over his whole deportment ; his very 
language was pure and guarded, and free from all gross 
or irreverent expressions. 

It cannot be denied, however, that his piety was min- 
gled with superstition, and darkened by the bigotry of 
the age. He evidently concurred in the opinion, that all 
the nations who did not acknowledge the Christian faith 
were destitute of natural rights ; and that the sternest 
measures might be used for their conversion, and the se- 
verest punishments inflicted upon them, if obstinate in 
unbelief. In this spirit of bigotry he considered himself 
justified in making captives of the Indians, and transj^ort- 



268 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 

ing them to Spain, to have them taught the doctrines of 
Christianity, and in seUing them for slaves if they pre- 
tended to resist his invasions. In doing the latter, he 
sinned against the natural goodness of his heart, and 
against the feelings he had originally entertained and ex- 
pressed towards this gentle and hospitable people ; but 
he was goaded on by the mercenary impatience of the 
crown, and by the sneers of his enemies, at the unprof 
itable result of his enterprises. It is but justice to his 
character to observe, that the enslavement of the Indians 
thus taken in battle was at first openly countenanced by 
the crown, and that, when the question of right came to 
be discussed at the request of the queen, several of the 
most distinguished jurists and theologians advocated the 
practice ; so that the question was finally settled, in favor 
of the Indians, solely by the humanity of Isabella. As 
the venerable Bishop Las Casas observes, where the most 
learned men have doubted, it is not surprising that an 
unlearned mariner should err. 

These remarks, in palliation of the conduct of Colum- 
bus, are required by candor. It is proper to show him 
in connexion with the age in which he lived, lest the er- 
rors of the times should be considered his individual 
faults. It is not intended, however, to justify him on a 
point where it is inexcusable to err. Let it remain a 
blot on his illustrious name, and let others derive a lesson 
from it. 

A peculiar trait in his rich and varied character remains 
to be noticed; namely, that ardent and enthusiastic imagi- 
nation, which threw a magnificence over his whole course 
of thought. A poetical temperament is discernible 
throughout all his writings and in all his actions. We 
see it in all his descriptions of the beauties of the wild 
lands he was discovering ; in the enthusiasm with which 
he extols the verdure of the forests, the grandeur of the 
mountains, and the crystal clearness of the running 
streams ; the blandness of the temperature, the purity of 
the atmosphere, and the fragrance of the air, "full of 
dew and sweetness." It spread a golden and glorious 
world around him, and tinged every thing with its own 



OP COLUMBUS. 269 

gorgeous colors. It betrayed him into visionary specula- 
tions, which subjected him to the sneers and cavils of 
men of cooler and safer, but more grovelling minds. 
Such were the conjectures formed on the coast of Paria, 
about the form of the earth, and the situation of the ter- 
restrial Paradise; about the mines of Ophir, and the Aurea 
Chersonesus of the ancients ; and such was the heroic 
scheme of a crusade, for the recovery of the holy sep- 
ulchre. It filled his mind with solemn and visionary 
meditations on mystic passages of the Scriptures, and on 
the shadowy portents of the prophecies. It exalted his 
own office in his eyes, and made him conceive himself 
an agent sent forth upon a sublime and awful mission, 
and subject to mysterious intimations from the Deity ; 
such as the voice which he imagined spoke to him in 
comfort amidst the troubles of Hispaniola, and in the si- 
lence of the night on the disastrous coast of Veragua. 

He was decidedly a visionary, but a visionary of an 
uncommon kind, and successful in his dreams. The 
manner in which his ardent imagination and mercurial 
nature were controlled by a powerful judgement, and di- 
rected by an acute sagacity, is the most extraordinary 
feature in his character. Thus governed, his imagina- 
tion, instead of exhausting itself in idle flights, lent aid to 
his judgement, and enabled him to form conclusions at 
which common minds could never have arrived, nay, 
which they could not perceive when pointed out. 

To his intellectual vision it was given to read the signs 
of the times, and to trace in the conjectures and reveries 
of past ages the indications of an unknown world, as 
soothsayers were said to read predictions in the stars, 
and to foretell events from the visions of the night. " His 
soul," observes a Spanish writer, "was superior to the 
age in which he lived. For him was reserved the great 
enterprise of traversing a sea which had given rise to so 
many fables, and of deciphering the mystery of his age." 

With all the visionary fervor of his imagination, its 
fondest dreams fell short of the reality. He died in ig- 
norance of the real grandeur of his discovery ! Until his 
last breath, he entertained the idea that he had merely 



270 LIFE AND VOYAGES OF COLUMBUS. 

opened a new way to the old resorts of opulent commerce, 
and had discovered some of the wild regions of the East. 
He supposed Hispaniola to be the ancient Ophir, which 
had been visited by the ships of King Solomon, and that 
Cuba and Terra Firma were but remote parts of Asia. 
What visions of glory would have broken upon his mind, 
could he have known that he had indeed discovered a 
new continent equal to the old world in magnitude, and 
separated by two vast oceans from all the earth hitherto 
known by civilized man ! and how would his magnanimous 
spirit have been consoled, amidst the afflictions of age, 
and the cares of penury, the neglect of a fickle public, 
and the injustice of an ungrateful king, could he have an- 
ticipated the splendid empires which would arise in the 
beautiful world he had discovered ; and the nations and 
tongues and languages which were to fill its lands with 
his renown, and to revere and bless his name to the 
latest posterity ! 




PALOS. 

Wlionne Columbus set sail for the discovery of Anierien. 



A VISIT TO PALOS. 



[The following narrative was actually commenced, by the author 
of this work, as a letter to a friend, but unexpectedly swelled to its 
present size. He lias been induced to insert it here from the idea that 
many will feel the same curiosity to know something of the present 
state of Palos and its inhabitants that led him to make the journey.] 

Seville. 1828, 
Since I last wrote to you, I have made, what I may 
'.erin, an American Pilgrimage, to visit the little port of 
Palos in Andalusia, where Columbus fitted out his ships, 
and whence he sailed for the discovery of the new 
world. Need I tell you how deeply interesting and 
gratifying it has been to me? I had long meditated this 
excursion, as a kind of pious, and, if I may so say, filial 
duty of an American, and my intention was quickened 
when I learnt that many of the edifices, mentioned in the 
History of Columbus, still remained in nearly the same 
state in which they existed at the time of his sojourn at 
Palos, and that the descendants of the intrepid Pinzons, 
who aided him with ships and money, and sailed with 



272 A VISIT TO PALOS. 

him in the great voyage of discovery, still flourished in 
the neighborhood. 

The very evening before my departure from Seville, 
on the excursion, 1 heard that there was a young gentle- 
man, of the Pinzon family, studying law in the city. I 
got introduced to him, and found him of most prepos- 
sessing appearance and manners. He gave me a letter 
of introduction to his father, Don Juan Fernandez Pin- 
zon, resident of Moguer, and the present head of the 
family. 

As it was in the middle of August, and the weather 
intensely hot, I hired a calesa for the journey. This is 
a two-wheeled carriage, resembling a cabriolet, but of 
the most primitive and rude construction; the harness is 
profusely ornamented with brass, and the horse's head 
decorated with tufts and tassels and dangling bobs of scar- 
let and yellow worsted. I had, for calasero, a tall, long- 
legged Andalusian, in short jacket, little round-crowned 
hat, breeches decorated with buttons from the hip to ihe 
knees, and a pair of russet leather bottinas or sp;; ;jr- 
dashes. He was an active fellow, though uncommonly 
taciturn for an Andalusian, and strode along beside his 
horse, rousing him occasionally to greater speed by a 
loud malediction or a hearty thwack of his cudgel. 

In this style, I set off late in the day, to avoid the 
noontide heat, and after ascending the lofty range of hills 
that borders the great valley of tlie Guadalquiver, and 
having a rough ride among their heights, I descended 
about twilight into one of those vast, silent, melancholy 
plains, frequent in Spain, where I beheld no other signs 
of life than a roaming flock of bustards, and a distant herd 
of cattle, guarded by a solitary herdsman, who, with a 
long pike planted in the earth, stood motionless in the 
midst of the dreary landscape, resembling an Arab of the 
desert. The night had somewhat advanced, when we 
stopped to repose, for a few hours, at a solitary venta or 
inn, if it might so be called, being nothing more than a 
vast low-roofed stable, divided into several compartments 
for the reception of the troops of mules and arrieros (or 
carriers) who carry on the internal trade of Spain. Ac- 



A VISIT TO PALOS. 273 

commodation for the traveller there was none — not even 
for a traveller so easily accommodated as myself. The 
landlord had no food to give me, and as to a bed, he had 
none but a horse cloth,, on which his only child, a boy 
of eight years old, lay naked on the earthen floor. In- 
deed, the heat of the weather and the fumes from the 
stables made the interior of the hovel insupportable, so I 
was fain to bivouac on my cloak on the pavement at the 
door of the venta, where, on waking after two or three 
hours of sound sleep, I found a contrabandista (or smug 
gler) snoring beside me, with his blunderbuss on his arm. 

I resumed my journey before break of day, and had 
made several leagues by ten o'clock, when we stopped 
to breakfast, and to pass the sultry hours of mid-day, in 
a large village, from whence we departed about four 
o'clock, and after passing through the same kind of soli- 
tary country, arrived just after sunset at Moguer. This 
little city (for at present it is a city) is situated about 3 
league from Palos, of which place it has gradually ab- 
sorbed all the respectable inhabitants, and, among the 
number, the whole family of the Pinzons. 

So remote is this little place from the stir and bustU 
of travel, and so destitute of the show and vainglory 01 
this world, that my calesa, as it rattled and jingled aloni. 
the narrow and ill-paved streets, caused a great sensation, 
the children shouted and scampered along by its side, 
admiring its splendid trappings of brass and worsted, ano 
gazing with reverence at the important stranger who came 
in so gorgeous an equipage. 

I drove up to the principal posada, the landlord oi 
which was at the door. He was one of the very civilest 
men in the world, and disposed to do every thing in his 
power to make me comfortable; there was only one dif 
ficulty, he had neither bed nor bedroom in his house. 
In fact it was a mere venta for muleteers, who are ac- 
customed to sleep on the ground with their mule cloths 
for beds and packsaddles for pillows. It was a hard 
case, but there was no better posada in the place. Few 
people travel for pleasure or curiosity in these out-of-the- 
way parts of Spain, and those of any note are generally 



274 A VISIT TO PALOS. 

received into private houses. I had travelled sufficiently 
in Spain, to find out that a bed, after all, is not an arti- 
cle of indispensable necessity, and was about to bespeak 
some quiet corner where I might spread my cloak, when 
fortunately the landlord's wife came forth. She could 
not have a more obliging disposition than her husband, 
but then — God bless the women ! — they always know 
how to carry their good wishes into effect. In a little 
while, a small room, about ten feet square, that had 
formed a thoroughfare between the stables and a kind of 
shop or bar room, was cleared of a variety of lumber, 
and I was assured that a bed should be put up there for 
me. From the consultations I saw my hostess holding 
with some of her neighbor gossips, I fancied the bed wa£ 
to be a kind of piecemeal contribution among them fo"^ 
the credit of the house. 

As soon as I could change my dress, J commenced 
the historical researches which were the object of my 
journey, and inquired for the abode of Don Juan Fer- 
nandez Pinzon. My obliging landlord himself volun- 
teered to conduct me thither, and I set off full of anima- 
tion at the thoughts of meeting with the lineal represen- 
tative of one of the coadjutors of Columbus. 

A short walk brought us to the house, which was most 
respectable in its appearance, indicating easy, if not af- 
fluent, circumstances. The door, as is customary in 
Spanish villages, during summer, stood wide open. We 
entered with the usual salutation, or /ather summons, 
•'Ave Maria!" A *rim Andalusian handmaid answered 
:o the call, and, on our inquiring for the master of the 
House, led me way across a little patio or court, in the 
'^entre of the edifice, cooled by a fountain surrounded by 
shrubs and flowers, to a back court or terrace, likewise 
set out with flowers, where Don Juan Fernandez was 
seated with Jiis family, enjoying the serene evening in 
the open air. 

I was much pleased with his appearance. He was a 
venerable old gentleman, tall, and somewhat thin, with 
fair complexion and gray hair. He received me with 
great urbanity, and on reading the letter from his son, 



A VISIT TO PALOS. 275 

appeared struck with surprise to find 1 had come quite 
to JMoguer, merely to visit the scene ol the embarkation 
of Cokimbus ; and still more so on my telling him, that 
one of my leading objects of curiosity was his own family 
connexion ; for it would seem that the worthy cavalier 
had troubled his head but little about the enterprises of 
his ancestors. 

I now took my seat in the domestic circle, and soon 
felt myself quite at home, for there is generally a frank- 
ness in the hospitality of the Spaniards, that soon puts a 
stranger at his ease beneath their roof. The wife of 
Don Juan Fernandez was extremely amiable and afiable, 
possessing much of that natural aptness for which the 
Spanish women are remarkable. In the course of con- 
versation with them, I learnt, that Don .Tuan Fernandez, 
who is seventy-two years of age, is the eldest of five 
brothers, all of whom are married, have numerous off- 
spring, and live in Moguer and its vicinity, in nearly the 
same condition and rank of life as at the time of the dis- 
covery. This agreed with what I had previously heard, 
respecting the families of the discoverers. Of Colum- 
bus, no lineal and (iirect descendant exists ; his was an 
exotic stock that never took deep and lasting root in the 
country ; but the race of the Pinzons continues to thrive 
and multiply in its native soil. 

While I was yet conversing, a gentleman entered, 
who was introduced to me as Don Luis Fernandez Pin- 
zon, the youngest of the brothers. He appeared to be 
between fifty and sixty years of age, somewhat robust, 
with fair complexion and gray hair, and a frank and man- 
ly deportment. He is the only one of the present gen- 
eration that has followed the ancient profession of the 
family ; having served with great applause as an officer 
of the royal navy, from which he retired, on his mar- 
riage, about twenty-two years since. He is the one also, 
who takes the greatest interest and pride in the historical 
honors of his house, carefully preserving all the legends 
and documents of the achievements and distinctions of 
his family, a maimscript volume of which he lent to me 
for my inspection 



276 A VISIT TO PALOS. 

Don Juan now expressed a wish that, dunn^ my re-j- 
dence in Moguer, I would make his house my iiome. i 
endeavored to excuse myself, alleging, that the good 
people at the posada had been at such extraordinary 
trouble in preparing quarters for me, that I did not like 
to disappoint them. The worthy old gentleman under- 
took to arrange all this, and, while supper was preparing, 
we walked together to the posada. 1 found that my 
obhging host and hostess had indeed exerted themselves 
to an uncommon degree. An old rickety table had been 
spread out in a corner of the little room as a bedstead, 
on top of which was propped up a grand cania de luxo, 
or state bed, which appeared to be the admiration of the 
house. I could not, for the soul of me, appear to under- 
value what the poor people had prepared with such hear- 
ty good-will, and considered such a triumph of art and 
luxury ; so I again entreated Don .Juan to dispense with 
my sleeping at his house, promising most faithfully to 
make my meals there whilst I should stay at Moguer ; 
and as the old gentleman understood my motives for de- 
clining his invitation, and felt a good-humored sympathy 
in them, we readily arranged the matter. I returned, 
therefore, with Don Juan to his house, and supped with 
his family. During the repast, a plan was agreed upon 
for my visit to Palos, and to the convent La Rabida, in 
which Don Juan volunteered to accompany me and be 
my guide, and the following day was allotted to the ex- 
pedition. We were to breakfast at a hacienda, or coun- 
try seat, which he possessed in the vicinity of Palos, in 
the midst of his vineyards, and were to dine there on our 
return from the convent. These arrangements being 
made, we parted for the night ; I returned to the posada, 
highly gratified with my visit, and slept soundly in the 
extraordinary bed which, I may almost say, had been 
invented for my accommodation. 

On the following morning, bright and early, Don .Juan 
Fernandez and myself set oft' in the calesafor Palos. I 
felt apprehensive, at first, that the kind-hearted old gen- 
tleman, in his anxiety to obhge, had left his bed at too 
early an hour, and was exposing himself to fatigues un- 



A VISIT TO PALOS. 277 

suited to his age. He laughed at the idea, and assured 
me that he was an early riser, and accustomed to all kinds 
of exercise on horse and foot, being a keen sportsman, 
and frequently passing days together among the moun- 
tains, on shooting expeditions, taking with him servants, 
horses, and provisions, and living in a tent. He ap- 
peared, in fact, to be of an active habit, and to possess 
a youthful vivacity of spirit. His cheerful disposition 
rendered our morning drive extremely agreeable ; his 
urbanity was shown to every one whom we met on the 
road ; even the common peasant was saluted by liim with 
the appellation of caballero^ a mark of respect ever grati- 
fying to the poor but proud Spaniard, when yielded by 
a superior. 

As the tide was out, we drove along the flat grounds 
bordering the Tinto. The river was on our right, 
while on our left was a range of hills, jutting out into 
promontories, one beyond the other, and covered with 
vineyards and fig trees. The weather was serene, the 
air soft and balmy, and the landscape of that gentle kind 
calculated to put one in a quiet and happy humor. We 
passed close by the skirts of Palos, and drove to the 
hacienda, which is situated at some little distance from 
the village, between it and the river. The house is a 
low stone building, well whitewashed, and of great 
length ; one end being fitted up as a summer residence, 
with saloons, bedrooms, and a domestic chapel; and the 
other as a bodega or magazine for the reception of the 
wine produced on the estate. 

The house stands on a hill, amidst vineyards, which 
are supposed to cover a part of the site of the ancient 
town of Palos, now shrunk to a miserable village. Be- 
yond these vineyards, on the crest of a distant hill, are 
seen the white walls of the convent of La Rabida, rising 
above a dark w^ood of pine trees. 

Below the hacienda, flows the river Tinto, on which 
Columbus embarked. It is divided by a low tongue of 
land, or rather the sand bar of Saltes, from the river 
Odiel, with which it soon mingles its waters, and flows 
on to the ocean. Beside this sand bar, where the chan- 
24 I 



278 A VISIT TO PALOS. 

nel of the river runs deep, the squadron of Columbus 
was anchored, and from hence he made sail on the morn- 
ing of his departure. 

The soft breeze that was blowing, scarcely ruffled the 
surface of this beautiful river ; two or three picturesque 
barks, called mysticks, with long latine sails, were glid- 
ing down it. A little aid of the imagination might suf- 
fice to picture them as the light caravels of Columbus, 
sallying forth on their eventful expedition, while the dis- 
tant bells of the town of Huelva, which were ringing 
melodiously, might be supposed as cheering the voya- 
gers with a farewell peal. 

I cannot express to you what were jny feelings, on 
treading the shore which had once been animated by the 
bustle of departure, and whose sands had been printed 
by the last footstep, of Columbus. The solemn and sub- 
lime nature of the event that had followed, together with 
the fate and fortunes of those concerned in it, filled the 
mind with vague yet melancholy ideas. It was like 
viewing the silent and empty stage of some great drama, 
when all the actors had departed. The very aspect of 
the landscape, so tranquilly beautiful, had an effect upon 
me ; and as I paced the deserted shore bv the side of a 
descendant of one of the discoverers, 1 felt my heart 
swelling with emotions, and my eves fiUing with tears. 

What surprised me, was, to find no semblance of a 
seaport ; there was neither wharf nor landing-place — 
nothing but a naked river bank, with the hulk of a ferry- 
boat, which I was told carried passengers to Huelva, 
lying high and dry on the sands, deserted by the tide. 
Palos, though it has doubtless dwindled away from its 
former size, can never have been important as to extent 
and population. If it possessed warehouses on the 
beach, they have disappeared. It is at present a mere 
village of the poorest kind, and lies nearly a quarter of 
a mile from the river, in a hollow among hills. It con- 
tains a few hundred inhabitants, who subsist principally 
by laboring in the fields and vineyards. Its race of i»er- 
chants and mariners are extinct. There are no vessels 
belonging to the place, nor any show of traffic, except 



A VISIT TO PALOS. 279 

ing at the season of fruit and wine, when a few mysticks 
and other hght barks anchor in the river to collect the 
produce of the neighborhood. The people are totally 
ignorant, and it is probable that the greater part of them 
scarce know even the name of America. Such is the 
place from whence sallied forth the enterprise for the dis- 
covery of the western world! 

We were now summoned to breakfast in a little saloon 
of the hacienda. The table was covered with natural 
luxuries produced upon the spot — fine purple and mus 
catel grapes from the adjacent vineyard, delicious melons 
from the garden, and generous wines made on the estate. 
The repast was heightened by the genial manners of my 
hospitable host, who appeared to possess the most en 
viable cheerfulness of spirit and simplicity of heart. 

After breakfast, we set oft' in the cale a, to visit the 
convent of La Rabida, which is about half a league dis- 
tant. The road, for a part of the way, lay through the vine- 
yards, and was deep and sandy. The calaserohad been 
at his wit's end to conceive what motive a stranger like 
myself, apparently travelling for mere amusement, could 
have in coming so far to see so miserable a place as Pa- 
los, which he set down as one of the very poorest places 
in the whole world ; but this additional toil and struggle 
through deep sand to visit the old convent of La Rabida, 
completed his confusion. " Hombre !" exclaimed he, 
" es una ruina! no hay mas que dos frailes!" — " Zounds! 
wh)^ it's a ruin ! there are only two friars there !" Don 
Juan laughed, and told him that I had come all the way 
from Seville precisely to see that old ruin and those two 
friars. The calasero made the Spaniard's last reply 
when he is perplexed — he shrugged his shoulders and 
crossed himself. 

After ascending a hill, and passing through the skirts 
of a straggling pine wood, we arrived in front of the con- 
vent. It stands in a bleak and solitary situation, on the 
brow of a rocky height or promontory, overlooking to 
the west a wide range of sea and land, bounded by the 
frontier mountains of Portugal, about eight leagues dis' 
tant. The convent is shut out from a view of the vine- 



280 A VISIT TO PALOS. 

yard of Palos by the gloomy forest of pines which I have 
mentioned, which cover the promontory to the east, and 
darken the w^hole hindscape in that direction. 

There is nothing remarkable in the architecture of the 
convent ; jjart of it is Gothic, but the edifice having 
been frequently repaired, and being whitewashed, accord- 
ing to a universal -custom in Andalusia, inherited from 
the Moors, it has not that venerable aspect which might 
be expected from its antiquity. 

We alighted at the gate where Columbus, when a poor 
pedestrian, a stranger in the land, asked bread and water 
for his child ! As long as the convent stands, this must 
be a spot calculated to awaken the most thrilling inter- 
est. The gate remains apparently in nearly the same 
state as at the time of his visit, but there is no longer a 
porter at hand to administer to the wants of the wayfarer. 
The door stood wide open, and admitted us into a small 
court-yard. From thence we passed through a Gothic 
portal into the chapel, without seeing a human being. 
We then traversed two interior cloisters, equally vacant 
and silent, and bearing a look of neglect and dilapidation. 
From an open window we had a peep at what had once 
been a garden, but that had also gone to ruin ; the walls 
were broken and thrown down ; a few shrubs, and a 
scattered fig tree or two, were all the traces of cultivation 
that remained. We passed through the long dormito- 
ries, but the cells were shut up and abandoned ; we saw 
no living thing except a solitary cat stealing across a dis- 
tant corridor, which fled in a panic at the unusual sight 
of strangers. At length, after patrolling nearly the whole 
of the empty building to the echo of our own footsteps, 
we came to where the door of a cell, being partly open, 
gave us the sight of a monk w-ithin, seated at a table writ- 
ing. He rose, and received us with much civility, and 
conducted us to the superior, who was reading in an ad- 
jacent cell. They were both rather young men, and, 
together with a noviciate and a lay brother, who offi- 
ciated as cook, formed the whole community of the con- 
vent. 

Don .Tunn Fernandez commun' cated to them the ob' 



A VISIT TO PALOS. 281 

ject of my visit, and my desire also to inspect the ar- 
chives of the convent, to find if there was any record of 
the sojourn of Columhus. They informed us that the 
archives had been entirely destroyed by the French. 
The younger monk, however, who had perused them, 
had a vague recollection of various particulars concerning 
the transactions of Columbus at Palos, his visit to the 
convent, and the sailing of his expedition. From all 
that he cited, however, it appeared to me that all the 
information on the subject contained in the archives, had 
been extracted from Herrera and other well-known au- 
thors. The monk was talkative and eloquent, and soon 
diverged from the subject of Columbus, to one which he 
considered of infinitely greater importance — the miracu- 
lous image of the Virgin possessed by their convent, and 
known by the name of "Our Lady of La Rabida." 
He gave us a history of the wonderful way in which the 
image had been found buried in the earth, where it had 
lain hidden for ages, since the time of the conquest of 
Spain by the Moors ; the disputes between the convent 
and difl?erent places in the neighborhood for the posses- 
sion of it ; the marvellous protection it extended to the 
adjacent country, especially in preventing all madness, 
either in man or dog, for this malady was anciently so 
prevalent in this place as to gain it the appellation of La 
Rabia, by which it was originally called ; a name which, 
thanks to the beneficent influence of the Virgin, it no 
longer merited or retained. Such are the legends and 
relics with which every convent in Spain is enriched, 
which are zealously cried up by the monks, and devoutly 
credited by the populace. 

Twice a year, on the festival of Our Lady of La Ra- 
bida, and on that of the patron saint of the order, the 
solitude and silence of the convent are interrupted by the 
intrusion of a swarming multitude, composed of the in- 
habitants of Moguer, of Huelva, and the neighboring 
plains and mountains. The open esplanade in front of 
the edifice resembles a fair, the adjacent forest teems 
with the motley throng, and the image of Our Lady of 
La Rabida is borne forth in triumphant procession. 
24* 



282 A VISIT TO PALOS. 

While the friar was thus dilating upon the merits and 
renown of the image, I amused myself with those day- 
dreams, or conjurings of the imagination, to which I am 
a little given. As the internal arrangements of convents 
are apt to be the same from age to age, I pictured to 
myself this chamber as the same inhabited by the guar- 
dian, Juan Perez de Marchena, at the time of the visit 
of Columbus. Why might not the old and ponderous 
table before me be the very one on which he displayed 
his conjectural maps, and expounded hrs theory of a 
western route to India ? It required but another stretch 
of the imagination to assemble the little conclave around 
the table; Juan Perez, the friar, Garcia Fernandez, the 
physician, and Martin Alonzo Pinzon,the bold naviga- 
tor, all listening with rapt attention to Columbus, or to 
the tale of some old seaman of Palos, about islands seen 
in the western parts of the ocean. 

The friars, as far as their poor means and scant} 
knowledge extended, were disposed to do every thing to 
promote the object of my visit. They showed us all 
parts of the convent, which, however, has little to boast 
of, excepting the historical associations connected with 
it. The library was reduced to a few volumes, chiefly 
on ecclesiastical subjects, piled promiscuously in the 
corner of a vaulted chamber, and covered with dust 
The chamber itself was curious, being the most ancient 
part of the edifice, and supposed to have formed part of 
a temple in the time of the Romans. 

We ascended to the roof of the convent to enjoy the 
extensive prospect it commands. Immediately below 
the promontory on which it is situated, runs a narrow- 
but tolerably deep river, called the Domingo Rubio, 
which empties itself into the Tinto. It is the opinion of 
Don Luis Fernandez Pinzon, that the ships of Colum- 
bus were careened and fitted out in this river, as it af- 
fords better shelter than the Tinto, and its shores are 
not so shallow. A lonely bark of a fisherman was lying 
in this stream, and not far off, on a sandy point, were the 
ruins of an ancient watchtower. From the roof of the 
convent, all the windings of the Odiel and the Tinto 



A VISIT TO PALOS. 283 

were to be seen, and their junction into the main stream, 
by which Columbus salhed forth to sea. In fact the 
convent serves as a landmark, being, from its lofty and 
solitary situation, visible for a considerable distance to 
vessels coming on the coast. On the opposite side, I 
looked down upon the lonely road, through the wood of 
pine trees, by which the zealous guardian of the convent, 
Fray .Tuan Perez, departed at midnight on his mule, 
when he sought the camp of Ferdinand and Isabella, in 
the vega of Granada, to plead the project of Columbus 
before the queen. 

Having finished our inspection of the convent, we 
prepared to depart, and were accompanied to the outward 
portal by the two friars. Our calasero brought his rat- 
tling and rickety vehicle for us to mount ; at sight of 
which one of the monks exclaimed, with a smile, " Santa 
Maria ! only to think ! A calesa before the gate of the 
convent of La Rabida!" And, indeed, so solitary and 
remote is this ancient edifice, and so simple is the mode 
of living of the people in this by-corner of Spain, that 
the appearance of even a sorry calesa might well cause 
astonishment. It is only singular, '.'lat in such a by-cor- 
ner the scheme of Columbus should have found intelli- 
gent listeners and coadjutors, after it had been discarded, 
almost with scoffing and contempt, from learned univer- 
sities and splendid courts. 

On our way back to the hacienda, we met Don Rafael, 
a younger son of Don Juan Fernandez, a fine young man, 
about twenty-one years of age, and who, his father in- 
formed me, was at present studying French and mathe- 
matics. He was well-mounted on a spirited gray horse, 
and dressed in the Andalusian style, with the little round 
hat and jacket. He sat his horse gracefully, and man- 
aged him well. I was pleased with the frank and easy 
terms on which Don Juan appeared to live witli his chil- 
dren. This I was inclined to think his favorite son, as 1 
understood he was the only one that partook of the old 
gentleman's fondness for the chase, and that accompanied 
him in his hunting excursions. 

A dinner had been prepared for us at the hacienda, by 



284 



A VISIT TO PALOS. 



the wife of the capitaz, or overseer, who, with her hus- 
band, seemed to be vvellpleased with this visit from Don 
Juan, and to be confident of receiving a pleasant answer 
from the good-humored old gentleman whenever they 
addressed him. The dinner was served up about two 
o'clock, and was a most agreeable meal. The fruits and 
wines were from the estate, and were excellent ; the rest 
of the provisions were from Moguer, for the adjacent 
village of Palos is too poor to furnish any thing. A gen 
tie breeze from the sea played through the hall, and tem- 
pered the summer heat. Indeed, I do not know when I 
have seen a more enviable spot than this country retreat 
of the Pinzons. Its situation on a breezy hill, at no great 
distance from the sea, and in a southern climate, produces 
a happy temperature, neither hot in summer nor cold in 
winter. It commands a beautiful prospect, and is sur- 
rounded by natural luxuries. The country abounds uith 
game, the adjacent river affords abundant sport in fish- 
ing, both by day and night, and delightful excursions for 
those fond of sailing. During the busy seasons of rural 
life, and especially at the joyous period of vintage, the 
family pass some time here, accompanied by numerous 
guests, at which times, Don Juan assured me, there was 
no lack of amusements, both by land and water. 




When we had dined, and taken the siesta, or afternoon 
nap, according to the Spanish custom in summer time, 
we set out on our return to Moguer, visiting the villago 



A VISIT TO PALOS. 285 

of Pales in the way. Don Gabriel had been sent in 
advance to procure the keys of the village church, and to 
apprize the curate of our wish to inspect the archives. 
The village consists principally of two streets of low 
whitewashed houses. Many of the inhabitants have 
very dark complexions, betraying a mixture of African 
blood. 

On entering the village, we repaired to the lowly man- 
sion of the curate. I had hoped to find him some such 
personage as the curate in Don Quixote, possessed of 
shrewdness and information in his limited sphere, and 
that I might gain some anecdotes from him concerning 
his parish, its worthies, its antiquities, and its historical 
events. Perhaps I might have done so at any other 
time, but, unfortunately, the curate was something of a 
sportsman, and had heard of some game among the neigh- 
boring hills. We met him just sallying forth from his 
house, and, I must confess, his appearance was pictur- 
esque. He was a short, broad, sturdy, little man, and 
had doffed his cassock and broad clerical beaver, for a 
short jacket and a little round Andalusian hat ; he had 
his gun in hand, and was on the point of mounting a don- 
key which had been led forth by an ancient withered 
handmaid. Fearful of being detained from his foray, he 
accosted my companion the moment he came in sight. 
" God preserve you, Senor Don .Tuan ! I have re- 
ceived your message, and have but one answer to make. 
The archives have all been destroyed. We have no 
trace of any thing you seek for — nothing — nothing. Don 
Rafael has the keys of the church. You can examine it 
at your leisure — Adios, caballero !" With these words, 
the galliard little curate mounted his donkey, thumped 
nis ribs with the but-end of his gun, and trotted off to the 
hills. 

In our way to the church, we passed by the ruins of 
what had once been a fair and spacious dwelling, greatly 
superior to the other houses of the village. This, Don 
Juan informed me, was an old family possession, but 
si'nce they had removed from Palos, it had fallen to de- 
cay for want of a tenant. It was probably the family 



286 



A VISIT TO PALOS. 



residence of Martin Alonzo or Vicente \afiez Pinzon, 
in the time ol' Columbus. 




We now arrived at the church of St. George, in the 
porch of which Cohniibus first proclaimed to the inhabi- 
tants of Palos the order of the sovereigns, that they 
should furnish him with ships for his great voyage of dis- 
covery. This edifice has lately been thoroughly repaired, 
and, being of solid mason-work, promises to stand for 
ages, a monument of the discoverers. It stands outside 
of the village, on the brow of a hill, looking along a little 
valley toward the river. The remains of a Moorish 
arch prove it to have been a mosque in former times ; 
just above it, on the crest of the hill, is the ruin of a 
.Moorish castle. 

I paused in the porch, and endeavored to recall the 
interesting scene that had taken place there, when Co- 
lumbus, accom))anied by the zealous friar Juan Perez, 
caused the public notary to read the royal order in pres- 
ence of the astonished alcaldes, regidors, and alguazils ; 
but it is difficult to conceive the consternation that must 
have been struck into so remote a little community, by 
this sudden apparition of an entire stranger among them, 
bearing a command that they should put their persons 
and ships at his disposal, and sail with him away into the 
unknown wilderness of the ocean. 

The interior of the church has nothing remarkable, 



A VISIT TO PALOS. 287 

excepting a wooden image of St. George vanquishing 
the Dragon, which is erected over the higli ahar, and is 
the admiration of the good people of Palos, who bear it 
about the streets in grand procession on the anniversary 
of the saint. This group existed in the time of Colum- 
bus, and now flourishes in renovated youth and splen- 
dor, having been newly painted and gilded, and the coun- 
tenance of the saint rendered peculiarly blooming and 
lustrous. 

Having finished the examination of the church, we re- 
sumed our seats in the calesa and returned to Moguer. 
One thing only remained to fulfil the object of my pil- 
grimage. This was to visit the chapel of the convent 
of Santa Clara. When Columbus was in danger of be- 
ing lost in a tempest on his way home from his grea'' 
voyage of discovery, he made a vow, that, should he be 
spared, he would watch and pray one whole night in this 
chapel ; a vow which he doubtless fulfilled immediately 
after his arrival. 

, My kind and attentive friend, Don Juan, conducted 
me to the convent. It is the wealthiest in Moguer, and 
belongs to a sisterhood of Franciscan nuns. The chap- 
el is large, and ornamented with some degree of rich- 
ness, particularly the part about the high altar, which is 
embellished by magnificent monuments of the brave 
family of the Puerto Carreros, the ancient lords of Mo- 
guer, and renowned in Moorish warfare. The alabaster 
effigies of distinguished warriors of that house, and of 
their wives and sisters, lie side by side, with folded 
hands, on tombs immediately before the altar, while oth- 
ers recline in deep niches on either side. The night 
had closed in by the time I entered the church, which 
made the scene more impressive. A few votive lamps 
shed a dim light about the interior ; their beams were 
feebly reflected by the gilded work of the high altar, and 
the frames of the surrounding paintings, and rested upon 
the marble figures of the warriors and dames lying in the 
monumental repose of ages. The solemn pile must have 
presented much the same a.ppearance when the pious dis- 
coverer performed his vigil, kneeling before this very 



28S A VISIT TO PALOS. 

altar, and praying and watching throughout the night, and 
pouring forth heart-felt praises for having been spared to 
accomplish his sublime discovery. 

I had now completed the main purpose of my journey, 
having visited the various places connected with the sto- 
ry of Columbus. It was highly gratifying to find some 
of them so little changed, though so great a space of time 
had intervened ; but in this quiet nook of Spain, so far 
removed from the main thoroughfares, the lapse of time 
produces but few violent revolutions. Nothing, howev- 
er, had surprised and gratified me more than the contin- 
ued stabiHty of the Pinzon family. On the morning after 
my excursion to Palos, chance gave me an opportunity 
of seeing something of the interior of most of their house- 
holds. Having a curiosity to visit the remains of a Moor- 
ish castle, once the citadel of Moguer, Don Fernandez 
undertook to show me a tower which served as a maga- 
zine of wine to one of the Pinzon family. In seeking 
for the key, we were sent from house to house of nearly 
the whole connexion. All appeared to be living in that, 
golden mean equally removed from the wants and super- 
fluities of life, and all to be happily interwoven by kind 
and cordial habits of intimacy. We found the females 
of the family generally seated in the patios, or central 
courts of their dwellings, beneath the shade of awnings, 
and among shrubs and flowers. Here the Andalusian 
ladies are accustomed to pass their mornings at work, 
surrounded by their handmaids, in the primitive, or, rath- 
er, oriental style. In the porches of some of the houses, 
I observed the coat of arms granted to the family by 
Charles the Fifth, hung up like a picture in a frame. Over 
the door of Don Luis, the naval officer, it was carved on 
an escutcheon of stone, and colored. I had gathered many 
particulars of the family also from conversation with Don 
.Tuan, and frcai the family legend lent me by Don Luis. 
From all that I could learn, it would appear that the 
lapse of nearly three centuries and a half has made but 
little change in the condition of the Pinzons. From gen- 
eration to generation they have retained the same fair 
standing and reputable name throughout the neighbor 



A VISIT TO PALOS. 289 

hood, filling offices of public trust and dignity, and pos- 
sessing great influence over their fellow-citizens by their 
good sense and good conduct. How rare is it to see 
such an instance of stability of fortune in this fluctuating 
world, and how truly honorable is this hereditary respec- 
tabihty, which has been secured by no titles or entails, 
but perpetuated merely by the innate worth of the race ! 
I declare to you, that the most illustrious descents of 
mere titled rank could never command the sincere re- 
spect and cordial regard with which I contemplated this 
stanch and enduring family, which for three centuries 
and a half has stood merely upon its virtues. 

As I was to set ofi" on my return to Seville before two 
o'clock, I partook of a farewell repast at the house of 
Don Juan, between twelve and one, and then took leave 
of his household with sincere regret. The good old 
gentleman, with the courtesy, or rather the cordiality of 
a true Spaniard, accompanied me to the posada, to see 
me off. I had dispensed but little money in the posada — 
thanks to the hospitality of the Pinzons — yet the Span- 
ish pride of my host and hostess seemed pleased that I 
had preferred their humble chamber, and the scanty bed 
they had provided me, to the spacious mansion of Don 
Juan ; and when I expressed my thanks for their kind- 
ness and attention, and regaled mine host with a few 
choice cigars, the heart of the poor man was overcome. 
He seized me by both hands and gave me a parting bene- 
diction, and then ran after the calasero, to enjoin him to 
take particular care of me during my journey. 

Taking a hearty leave of my excellent friend Don 
Juan, who had been unremitting in his attentions to me 
to the last moment, I now set off on my wayfaring, grati- 
fied to the utmost with my visit, and full of kind and 
grateful feelings towards Moguer and its hospitable in- 
habitants. 

25 



APPENDIX. 



Obsequies of Columbus. 

The body of Columbus was deposited n the convent 
of San Francisco, and his obsequies were celebrated with 
funeral pomp in the parochial church of Santa Maria de 
la Antigua, in Valladohd. His remains were transported, 
in 1513, to the Carthusian convent of Las Cuevas, at 
Seville, and deposited in the chapel of Santa Christo. 
In the year 1536, they were removed to Hipsaniola, 
and interred by the side of the grand altar of the cathe- 
dral of the city of San Domingo. But even here they 
did not rest in quiet. On the cession of Hispaniola to 
the French, in 1795, it was determined by the Spaniards 
to bear them off to the island of Cuba as precious relics, 
connected with the most glorious epoch of Spanish his- 
tory. Accordingly, on the 20th December, 1795, in the 
presence of an august assemblage of the dignitaries of 
the Church and the civil and military officers, the vault 
was opened beside the high altar of the cathedral ; within 
were found the fragments of a leaden coffin, a number of 
bones, and a quantity of mould, evidently the remains of 
a human body. These were carefully collected, and put 
into a case of gilded lead, secured by an iron lock ; the 
case was enclosed in a coffin covered with black velvet, 
and the whole placed in a temporary mausoleum. On 
the following day there was another grand convocation at 
the cathedral : the vigils and masses for the dead were 
chanted, and a funeral sermon was preached by the arch- 
bishop. After these solemn ceremonials in the cathedral, 
the coffin was transported to the ship, attended by a grand 
civil, religious, and military procession. The banners 



APPENDIX. 291 

were covered with crape ; there were chants and re 
sponses, and discharges of artillery ; and the most dis- 
tinguished persons of the several orders took turns to 
support the cofBn. 

Ihe reception of the body at Havana was equally 
august. There was a splendid procession of boats to 
conduct It from the ship to the shore. On passing the 
vessels of war in the harbor, they all paid the honors due 
to an admiral and captain-general of the navy. On ar- 
riving at the mole, the remains were met by the governoi 
of the island, accompanied by the generals of the militarj 
staff. They were then conveyed in the utmost pomp 
to the cathedral. Masses and the solemn ceremonies of 
the dead were performed by the bishop, and the mortal 
remains of Columbus were deposited in the wall, on the 
right side of the grand altar, where they still remain. 

It is with deep satisfaction that the author of this work 
is able to close his history with the account of a ceremo- 
nial so noble and affecting, and so honorable to the Span- 
ish nation. When we read of the remains of Columbus 
thus conveyed from the port of San Domingo, after an 
interval of nearly three hundred years, as sacred national 
relics, with civil and mihtary pomp, and high religious 
ceremonial, we cannot but reflect that it was from this 
very port he was carried off loaded with ignominious 
chains, blasted apparently in fame and fortune, and taunt- 
ed by the revihngs of the rabble : such honors, it is true, 
are nothing to the dead, nor can they atone to the heart, 
now dust and ashes, for all the wrongs and sorrows it 
may have suffered ; but they speak volumes of comfort 
to the illustrious yet slandered and persecuted living, 
encouraging them bravely to bear with present injuries, 
by showing them how true merit outlives all calumny, 
and receives its glorious reward in the admiration of after 
ages. 

Note. — While this abridgement was going to press, the author re- 
ceived a letter from Madrid, mentioning a recent circumstance, which 
may be of some interest to the reader of this work. The emancipation 
of the Spanish colonies in America had stripped the heirs of Columbus 
of all their property, insomuch that his last direct descendant and rep- 
rp«!Pntative, the Duke of Veraguas, a young nobleman of worth and 



292 APPENDIX. 

talont, was reduced to extreme poverty. He instituted a claim upon 
the government for indemnification, which has just been allowed. A 
pension of twenty-four thousand dollars has been assigned him on the 
revenues of Cuba and Porto Rico. It is a circumstance highly to his 
credit, that, in the time of his greatest distress, he refused sums that 
were offered him for various documents in the archives of his family, 
and particularly for autographs of his illustrious ancestor. 



A GLOSSARY 

OF THE LATIN, FRENCH, SPANISH, AND OT«ER NOT-EASILT- 
UNDERSTOOD WORDS AND PHRASES. 

ALSO, A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THOSE PERSONS AND PLACE* 
SPOKEN OF, WHOSE HISTORY CONTAINS SOMETHING PECtTy 
LIAR, OR A KNOWLEDGE OF WHOM CANNOT BE OBTAINED 
FROM SOURCES ORDINARILY WITHIN THE REACH OF THE 
READER. 

Adios, adieu, farewell. 

Adelantado, lieutenant-governor. 

Alcala de la Guadaira, a small Spanish town, situated six miles south 
east of Seville, on the river Guadaira. 

Alcalde, (Spanish,) a justice of the peace, or judge who administers 
justice in a town. 

Alcantara, one of the three ancient Spanish orders of knighthood. It 
assumed this name from the town of Alcantara, in the Spanish prov- 
ince of Estreniadura, which was given to it, in 1207. 

Alcayde, governor of a castle or fort. 

Alguazil, (from the Spanish,) an inferior officer of justice, answer- 
ing to our constable. 

Alhambra, the red city, formerly the royal palace of the Moorish kings 
of Granada, in Spain. 

Alpha and Omega, names of the first and last letters of the Greek al 
phabet, hence often used to signify the beginning and end. 

Amazons, a race of masculine women or female warriors. 

Anana, pine-apple. 

Anjou, an ancient province of France. 

Apostolical Vicar, the Pope's representative in religious affairs. 

Arabic, language of the inhabitants of Arabia, which is the most 
westerly portion of Southern Asia, between the Red Sea and the 
Persian Gulf. 

Archdeacon, an ecclesiastical officer, next in rank to a bishop, for 
whom he acts on many occasions. He has a superintendence over 
other clergymen in his district. 

Archipelago, a sea interspersed with many islands ; the name gen- 
erally applied to the ^gean Sea, situated between Europe and Asia ; 
but in this volume referring to the islands in the Caribbean Sea. 

Aristotle, a distinguished Grecian philosopher, born three hundred and 
eighty-four years before Christ, at Stagira, in Macedonia ; hence he 
is sometimes called the Stagyrite. 

Arrieros, carriers. 

25* 



294 GLOSSARY. 

Arquebusier, a soldier armed with an arquebuse, a kind of fire-arms, 

formerly in use, which was cocked with a wheel. 
Atlantis. Many of the ancients supposed that there existed in the 
Atlantic Ocean a large island, to which the above name was given. 
Writers differ in their description and location of it, and as no such 
island is now known, the general opinion is that its existence was 
imaginary. Some, however, conjecture that the original accounts 
were true ; but that instead of an island, the early voyagers had 
visited the American Continent. 

Augustine, Saint, see Sai7it. 

Aura or Aurea Chersonesus, the golden peninsula. There is much 
difference of opinion among the learned, what place the ancients 
intended to designate by this name. Dr. Rees considers there is 
little reason to doubt that the Golden Chersonese is the southern 
part of the former kingdom, now province, of Pegu, in Asia, which 
may be considered as insulated. 

Autograph, a person's ovirn handwriting. 

Ave Maria, the beginning of a Roman Catholic prayer to the Virgin 
Mary, from which the whole prayer is called Avt> Maria. It liter- 
ally means. Hail, Mary ; and is the commencement of the saluta- 
tion which the angel addressed to the Virgin, when announcing to 
her that she should be the mother of our Saviour. 

Avenger, a title given to King John the First, of Portugal, who reigned 
from 1383 to 1433. He was inflexible in the punishment of crimes, 
and rooted out the band of bravoes kept by the nobility to execute 
private revenge. It was a saying of his that conversation was the 
cheapest of all pleasures, as well as the most improving, and he 
promoted a taste for letters among his people. 

Areytos, sacred, heroic, and historic ballads of the natives of Hispan- 
iola, or Hayti, or Saint Domingo, as the island is variously called. 

Penedictine, an order of monks, founded by St. Benedict. He was 
born atNorcia, in Spoleto, (which lies north of Rome,) in the year 
480. " In the 14th year of his age, he retired to a cavern, situated in 
the desert of Subiaco, forty miles from Rome, and in 515, drew up a 
rule for his monks, which was first introduced into the monastery 
on Monte Cassino, in the neighborhood of Naples, founded by him 
(in 529) in a grove of Apollo, after the temple had been demolish- 
ed. With the intention of banishing idleness, he prescribed, in ad- 
dition to the work of God, (as he called prayer and the reading of 
religious writings,) the instruction of youth in reading, writing, and 
ciphering, in the doctrines of Christianity, in manual labors, (in- 
cluding mechanic arts of every kind,) and in the management of 
the monastery. With regard to dress and food, the rule was se- 
vere, but not extravagant. He caused a library to be founded, for 
which the aged and infirm brethren were obliged to copy manu- 
scripts. By this means, he contributed to preserve the literary re- 
mains of antiquity from ruin ; for, though he had in view only the 
copying of religious writings, yet the practice was afterwards ex- 
tended to classical works of every kind. The learned world is in- 
debted for the preservati i\ of great literary treasures to the order 
of St. Benedict." 



GLOSSARY. 



295 



Bight, a bend, or small bay between two points of land. 

Bivouac, a military term, signifying to watch, or be on guard, or te 
lie in the open air, remaining dressed, so as to be ready to march at 
a moment's warning. 

Bodega, a magazine, store-room, wine-cellar. 

Bottinas, spatterdashes, or coverings for the legs. 

Bustard, a common name of a species of waders, or birds that often 
wade in the water for their food. The great bustard is the largest 
of European land birds, averaging in weight twenty-five pounds. 
They seldom fly, but employ their wings, as the ostrich does, to 
aid them in running. They congregate in flocks, and are usually 
found on open and level grounds. They feed on grain, herbs, 
seeds, worms, and insects. 

Butios, Indian priests. "" 

Caballero, a knight, nobleman, cavalier. 

Cabriolet, a light carriage or one-horse chair. 

Cacique, a chief. ,,/..!•• r 

Calabash, a vessel madeof a dried gourd-shell, or shell of the fruit of 
the calabash tree, which resembles somewhat a squash or pumpkin 
shell, but is much harder, and closer grained. 

Calabria, a mountainous country forming the southern part of the 
peninsula of Italy. 

Calesa, a Spanish calash or chaise with two wheels. 

Calesero, driver of a calash. 

Calicut, a district of Hindostan, in Asia, on the Malabar coast. 

Cama de luxo, (Spanish,) state bed. 

Cape Bojador, on the western coast of Africa. , ,, ,. 

Cape JVbn, on the west coast of the island of Ivica m the Mediterra- 
nean Sea. 

Cape of Good Hope, southern extremity ot Atrica. o • tt. 

Cape Tiburon, the southwest extremity of Hispaniola, or Saint Do- 
mingo. 

Capitaz, overseer. . „ . , j ■ u- e e 

Captain-general of the JSTavy, m Spam, the commander-in-chief of a 

fleet. 
Caravel, a light, round, old-fashioned ship. ^ ^ ,,r t 

Caribs inhabitants of the Caribbee Islands, as a part of the West In- 
dia Islands are called. In the last century, they were almost entire- 
ly expelled. They are of an olive-brown color, but paint themselves 
with a red vegetable paint, called arnotto, as a defence against in 
sects They voraciously devour the flesh of their enemies. 
Carthusian, a religious order of monks, founded by St. Bruno, in 
1086 who derived their name from the desert of Chartreuse, which 
is about twelve or fifteen miles from the city of Grenoble, m the south- 
east of France, and in which they built their first hermitages, which 
were anciently called Chartreuses. They practised the greatest absti- 
nence, wore coarse garments, and lived exclusively upon vegetableo 
and the coarsest bread. Their habit or dress was entirely white 
withm, covered with a black mantle. Their fifth general, who died 
in 1137, " pre^ribed, besides their usual monastic vows, eternal 
silence md solitude. Mechanical labors, copying of books and re- 



296 GLOSSARY. 

ligious worship, constituted their occupation. They observed » 
strict temperance, and submitted to bleeding five times a year. 
Excessive penance was forbidden, but their laws were very severe 
against disobedience. They were in general well informed, hos- 
pitable, and remarkable for their neatness." The order is now abol- 
ished, excepting in Sicily and Spain. 

Cassava, a bread made of the root of the yuca ; which see. 

Cassock, a robe or gown worn over the other garments, particularly 
by the clergy. 

Castillanos, a Spanish coin equal to five dollars thirty-two cents and 
five mills. 

Catalonians, inhabitants of Catalonia, a province of Spain. 

Ceres, the fabled goddess of corn and of harvests, who is said to have 
instructed mankind in the knowledge of agriculture, how to plough 
the ground, sow and reap corn, and make bread. She is usually 
represented with a garland of ears of corn on her head, holding in 
one hand a lighted torch and in the other a poppy ; sometimes she 
appears as a countrywoman sitting on the back of aii ox, carrying a 
basket on her left arm, and holding a hoe. 

Ceuta, a city on the African coast of the Mediterranean. 

Chaldaic, the language of the inhabitants of Chaldea, one of the most 
famous nations of Asia, in ancient times. Chaldea was the south- 
erly part of Babylonia, towards Arabia and the Persian Gulf. It 
was formerly a fertile country, but is now barren. 

Charles V., " emperor of Germany and king of Spain, (in the latter 
capacity he is called Charles the First,)" was born at Ghent in the 
Netherlands, February 24, 1500. He " had a noble air, and 
refined manners ; spoke little and smiled seldom ; was firm of 
purpose ; slow to decide ; prompt to execute ; equally rich in re- 
sources, and sagacious in the choice of them ; gifted with a cool 
judgement and always master of himself, he steadily pursued his 
purposes, and easily triumphed over obstacles. Circumstances 
developed his genius and made him great. An acute judge of men, 
he knew how to use them for his purposes. In misfortune, he ap- 
peared greater than in prosperity. He protected and encouraged 
the arts and sciences, and is said to have picked up a brush which 
had fallen from the hand of the celebrated painter Titian, with the 
words, ' Titian is worthy of being served by an emperor.' " He is 
looked upon as " one of the most remarkable characters in history. 
He exhibited no talents in his youth, and in afterlife, when his ar- 
mies in Italy were winning battle after battle, he remained quietly 
in Spain, apparently not much interested in these victories ; but even 
in his early youth, his motto was, {nondum,) not yet." But, from 
his thirtieth year, to the time of abdicating his throne, he showed 
himself a monarch. " No minister had a marked influence over 
him ; he was indefatigable in business, weighing the reasons on both 
sides of every case with great minuteness ; very slow in deciding ; 
unchangeable of purpose. Wherever he was, he imitated the cus- 
toms of the country, and won the favor of every people except the 
Germans. He was sl«w in punishing, as well as in rewarding ; but, 
when he did pu;\ish, it was with severity ; when he rewarded, it 



GLOSSARY. 29^^ 

was with munificeni;e." He relinquished his right to the Spanish 
throne, in favor of his son Philip, January 15, 1556, and retired to 
the monastery of Saint Justus, near Placensia, in the province of 
Estremadura, in Spain. " Here he exchanged sovereignty, domin- 
ion, and pomp, for the quiet and solitude of a cloister. His amuse- 
ments were confined to short rides, to the cultivation of a garden, 
and to mechanical labors. It is said that he made wooden clocks, 
and being unable to make two of them go exactly alike, he was re- 
minded of the folly of his efforts to bring a number of men to the 
same sentiments. He attended religious services twice daily, read 
books of devotion, and gradually fell into such dejection, that his 
faculties seemed to suffer from it. He renounced the most inno- 
cent pleasures, and observed the rules of the monastic life in all their 
rigor. In order to perform an extraordinary act of piety, he cele- 
brated his own obsequies. Wrapped in a shroud, and surrounded 
by his retinue, he laid himself in a coffin, which was placed in the 
middle of the church. The funeral service was performed, and 
the monarch mingled his voice with those of the clergy who 
prayed for him. After the last sprinkling, all withdrew, and the 
doors were closed. He remained some time in the coffin, then 
arose, threw himself before the altar, and returned to his cell, where 
he spent the night in deep meditation. This ceremony hastened 
his death," which occurred from a fever, September 21, 1558, 
in the 59th year of his age. 

Cibao, a district in the interior of Hispaniola, so named from its stony, 
sterile appearance. 

Clerical Beaver, clergyman's hat. 

Coat of Arms, emblematic badge of a family ; originally worn on some 
part of the person's armor, hence its name. 

Confession, in the Roman Catholic Church, an acknowledgement of 
sins and faults to a priest, to obtain a remission of them. 

Contrabandista, a smuggler ; one who carries on a trade in goods, 
the exporting or importing of which is prohibited by law. 

Cubanacan, a name given by the natives to a province in the centre of 
Cuba, nacan, in their language, signifying in the midst. 

Darien, (isthmus of,) a narrow neck of land, which connects North and 
South America. 

Decked. Vessels, having planked floors which connect the sides together, 
and serve as platforms to support the artillery, lodge the men, and 
also to preserve the cargo from sea and rain, are said to be decked. 

Desperado, a desperate fellow. 

Dominican, an order of monks founded by St. Dominic de Guzman, 
of Calahorra, in Old Castile, who was the inquisitor-general of the 
first Inquisition. He was born in 1 170, and died at Bologna, in 1221. 
The principal object of this order of monks was to preach against 
heretics, or those who held and taught opinions opposed to the Roman 
Catholic faith. At one time, it extensively prevailed in Europe and 
on the coasts of Asia, Africa, and America. It now flourishes chiefly 
in Spain, Portugal, and Sicily. The monks dress in black with white 
mantles and veils, the nuns in white, with black mantles and veils. 
See Franciscan. 



298 GLOSSARY 

Don Quixote, (Adventures of,) a very celebuated work, written by 
Cervantes, a distinguished Spanish writer, who was born in 1547, and 
died in 1616, at Madrid, where he lies buried, without a stone to 
indicate the spot. The object had in view by the author in this svork 
was, " to reform thefasteand opinions of his countrymen. He wished 
to ridicule that adventurous heroism with all its evil consequences, 
the source of which vpas the innumerable novels on knight-errantry. 
While he struggles against the prevailing false romance of the time, he 
displays the most truly romantic spirit. The beginning of the work 
was at first coldly fBceived, but soon met with the greatest applause, in 
which, at a later period, the whole of Europe joined," and it has 
now been translated into every European language. 

Dryads, wood-nymphs, fabled goddesses who were said to preside over 
woods or forests. 

Oucat, a coin used by several European nations, varying in value, but 
worth about two dollars and twenty-five cents. 

East, (the.) The countries situated in Asia, being east of Europe, are 
generally spoken of as the East, or the Eastern or Oriental world, as 
America, being west of Europe, is denominated the Western world. 

Eden, the place in which our first parents dwelt, previously to their 
disobedience and fall. There is a great difference of opinion relative 
to its precise situation. It is often termed Paradise, from a Greek 
word signifying a park or garden. 

Espanola, see Hispaniola. 

Esplanade, as used in this volume, means a grass plat. 

Falconets, small pieces of artillery. 

False Keel, a strong, thick piece of timber, fastened with iron bolts to 
the lower side of the keel or bottom of a ship, for the purpose of pre- 
serving it. 

Ferro, or Hiero, the most westerly of the Canary Islands. It was an- 
ciently supposed to be the most western point of the old world, and 
was employed by all geographers as their first meridian, or the point 
from which they calculated longitude. 

Flamingo, an aquatic bird, of which there are two species. The one re- 
ferred to in this volume, is an inhabitant of the tropical parts of Amer- 
ica, and migrates in the summer season to the Southern, and some- 
times, though seldom, to the Middle States. It is from three to four 
feet in height, of a deep red color with black quills. " They live in 
large flocks, frequenting desert sea-coasts and salt-marshes. They 
are shy and watchful. While feeding they keep together, drawn up 
artificially in lines, which, at a distance, resemble those of an army. 
They employ some to act as sentinels, for the security of the rest. 
On the approach of danger, these sentinels give warning by a loud 
sound, like that of a trumpet, which may be heard at a great distance. 
When flying, they form a triangle." They feed on shell-fish, insects, 
and the spawn of fishes. 

Flanders, see Flemish. 

Flemish, relating to Flanders, a country situated partly in France and 
partly in the Netherlands. 

Florentine, an inhabitant of Florence, the capital of Tuscany. 

Flores, one of the Azores or Western Islands, in the Atlantic Oceao. 



GLOSSARY. 299 

Foray, act of ravaging ; as used in this volume, a hunting excursion. 
Franciscan, a religious order of monks, founded in 1208, by St. Francis, 
of Assis' in Unibria. The order was originally distinguished by v>ws 
of absolute poverty, and a renunciation of all the pleasures of the 
world. Their common dress is a coarse woollen frock, with a cord 
round the waist, to which is suspended a rope with a knotted scourge. 
" An interesting comparison might be made between St. Franciscus, 
and St. Dominic. The first labored all his life to relieve the poor and 
persecuted, to propagate the gospel among the lower classes, who, 
in those convulsed periods, were almost entirely excluded, in most 
countries, from education and instruction in Christianity ; whilst St. 
Dominicus strove to spread Christianity by persecution. The char- 
acter of the two is deeply imprinted on the two orders— the humble 
Franciscans and the zealous Dominicans." 
Friar, a term derived from the Spanish, French, and Italian word for 
brother, and applied to monks as associated, or bound together, in 
brotherhood. 
Furling, rolling up and fastening the sails of vessels. 
Genoese, belonging or relating to Genoa. 
George, St., see St. George. 

Giralda, a Spanish name for a vane or weathercock in the form of a 
statue ; derived from the statue of a woman put on the spire of the 
cathedral church of Seville. 
Gloria in excelsis Deo, Glory to God in the highest, the commencing 

words of a hymn of praise to the Almighty. 
Grand or Great Khan, a title given m the north of Asia to the highest 

royal dignitary. 
Grand Soldan, Sultan, king. 

Grapplings, iron instruments having four or five sharp-pointed flukes 
or claws, and used in naval engagements to seize hold of and secure 
an enemy's ship. 
Gray Friar, a monk of the Franciscan order ; which see. 
Guanin, adulterated gold. 
Hacienda, country seat. 
Hebrew, the language of the Jews or Israelites, the descendants of 

Abraham. 
Heir-apparent, one who has an absolute and exclusive right to succeed 

to an estate or crown. 
Herrera, a Spanish historian, who was born at Cuellar, in Segovia, in 

1559, and died 1625. 
Hid!aZg-o, in Spain, a person of noble birth. 
High Admiral, as used in this volume, admiral in chief, or highest 

officer. 
High Altar. In Roman Catholic churches, there are several altars ; 
the principal one is elevated above the others, and is called the high 
altar. 
His Holiness, a title of the Pope. 

Hispaniola, Hayti, or Saint Domingo, one of the largest and most 
fertile of the West India Islands, named by Columbus, Espanola, 
from a fancied resemblance to some of the beautiful provinces of 
Spain. 



300 GLOSSARY. 

Holy Chair, a term frequently used for Pope, as " the crown" is often 
used instead of king. 

Holy Sepulchre, the supposed tomb or burial-place of Christ, in Jeiu- 
salem. 

Holy Writ, the Bible. 

India, Indians, names given to this country and to its inhabitants, by 
Columbus, on his discovery of America, under the impression that 
it was the eastern coast of Asia, for which he was in search, that 
he had reached. Subsequently, when the mistake was ascertained, 
the name was retained with the word West prefixed, so as to distin- 
guish the country from the other, or East Indies. At a later pe- 
riod, the name West Indies was restricted to the islands, which 
now retain it, lying between North and South America. 

Iiidulgence, remission of punishment due to sins ; granted by the 
Pope or Romish Church. 

Infidels, disbelievers of Christianity. 

Israelite, a Jew. 

Junta, a high council of state. 

Junto, a council. 

Labrador, an extensive country of North America, seven hundred 
miles long from north to south, and five hundred miles broad, situ- 
ated between Hudson's Bay, the Atlantic Ocean, and Canada. It 
belongs to Great Britain, and is annexed to the government of New- 
foundland. The severity of the climate and the barrenness of the 
region confining the visits of foreigners principally to the coasts, it 
has never been fully explored. 

Lactantius, a celebrated orator and author, supposed to have been 
an African. He was, at first, a teacher of rhetoric, and afterwards 
the tutor of Crispus, the eldest son of Constantine the Great. On 
account of the purity and eloquence of his language, he is frequently 
styled the Christian Cicero. He died about 325. 

Latine, or Lateen, a triangular sail, frequently used by vessels navi- 
gating the Mediterranean Sea. 

Lay-Brother, a pious, but illiterate person, who devotes himself in 
some convent or monastery to the service of the religious, (as that 
class, devoted exclusively to religious afiairs, is termed ;) being too 
ignorant to become a clerk, (or clergyman,) he applies himself 
wholly to bodily labor. 

Levant, from the Italian and French, signifying the east. In a gen 
eral sense, this name is used to designate the countries on the east- 
ern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, and in a more contracted 
sense, the Asiatic coasts from Constantinople to Alexandria, in 
Egypt. 

Lucayan, an inhabitant of the Bahama Islands. 

Lucayos, the Bahama Islands. 

Martiii Beheni or Behaim, one of the most learned mathematiciana 
and astronomers of his age, born at Nuremberg, about 1430. 

Master of the game, the winner. 

Mayorazgo, an entailed estate. 

Medina Celi, a Spanish town ia Old Castile, eighty-four miles soutk 
wesf of Saraffossa. 



GLOSSARY. 301 

Medina Sidonia, a Spanish town in Andalusia, twenty-two milea 
southeast of Cadiz. 

Mohammedan, a follower of, or believer in, the doctrines of Moham- 
med, an individual born at Mecca, in Arabia, A. D. 569, and who 
in the year 609 announced himself as an apostle of God. His re- 
licrious code, written in Arabic, is contained in a book called the 
Koran, or Al Koran, a word signifying the reading, or that which 
is to be read ; his doctrines were promulgated as revelations of the 
Divine will. " The first tenet of his creed was, 'Allah alone is 
God, and Mohammed is his prophet.' Moses and Christ were 
regarded, by him, as -divinely-inspired teachers of former times ; he 
did not deny the authenticity of the sacred histories and revela- 
tions of Christianity," but believed them to have become corrupt- 
ed ; he declared himself as sent to perfect the work of redemption 
already commenced. The heaven he promised his followers was 
one of sensual pleasures. "His morality was compiled frorn the 
ancient Jewish and Christian systems. The chief points in it 
are, the faithful adoration of Allah as the only God, unwavering 
obedience to the commands of the prophet, (that is, himself,) the 
necessity of prayer, charity to the poor, purifications, abstinence 
from forbidden enjoyments, (especially from strong drinks, a pro- 
hibition caused by the quarrels that arose among his adherents,) 
bravery, upholding, even to death, the cause of God, and entire re- 
signation to unavoidable fate." His doctrines were widely dissem 
inated by means of the sword and violence, and to this day exten- 
sively prevail in Asia and Africa. It is unnecessary for us to draw 
a comparison between him and the Founder of Christianity, who 
preached peace on earth, good will to man. Mohammed died at 
Medina, A. D. 632, and in the holy chapel there, is an urn, sur- 
rounded with iron trellis-work, which constitutes his sepulchre. 

Moors, a class of the inhabitants of Western Africa, particularly of 
Fez and Morocco. The name was given to them by the Spanish 
writers, who derived it from Mauritania, as that part of Africa 
which they inhabited was called by the Romans. They held do- 
minion in Spain for eight hundred years ; and were finally conquer 
ed, and their kingdom of Granada subdued, in 1491, by Ferdinand, 
after a ten years' war. After their subjugation, a part of them 
" went to Africa ; but most of them remained in Spain, where they 
were industrious, peaceful subjects, and adopted generally the ex- 
ternal forms of Christianity. The latter were called in Spain, Mo- 
riscos. Philip H., in his ferocious zeal for Christianity, resolved 
upon their entire destruction. His oppressions and persecutions 
excited an insurrection of the Moriscos in Granada, (1571,) after 
the suppression of which, over 100,000 of them were banished. 
Philip HI., in the same fanatic spirit, completed their expulsion, and 
nearly a million of them emigrated to Africa. As they were the most 
ingenious and. industrious inhabitants of Spain, they were a great 
loss to the country. Agriculture speedily fell into decay, and their 
expulsion is regarded as one of the leading causes of the decline of 
Spain. 
Moorish, or Saracenic, Arch, in building, an arch which is sometimet 

26 I. 



302 GLOSSART. 

lancet-shaped or pointed, and sometimes either of a crescent or horse- 
shoe form. It is supposed to have been introduced into Spain by 
the ftloors, and by them first used in buildings there erected. An 
explanation of diflerent kinds of arches, with cuts, may be found irj 
Bigelovv's ' Useful Arts,' published as vols. xi. and xii. of 'The 
School Library.' 

Moslem, a Mohammedan. Every one who acknowledges the unity 
of God and the apostlesliip of Mohammed, is called a Moslem ; that 
is, one who has given himself up to the will of God, and is there- 
fore in a state of salvation. 

Muscatel, or Muscadel, from the Italian moscadello, a sweet wine, 
so named from its flavor. 

Me plus ultra, a Latin phrase, literally meaning nothing more beyond ; 
used in this volume to denote the extreme limit, or farthest point, of 
discovery. 

]\''ereids, sea-nymphs, named after Nereus, a fabled deity of the sea. 

JVewfoundland, an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, (separated 
from the North American Contment by the Straits of Belle Isle and 
the Gulf of St. Lawrence,) which was discovered in 1497, by Se 
bastian Cabot. See his Life in vol. v. of ' The School Library.' 

JVew World, America. 

JVorthmen, the inhabitants of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, who 
were so called, in early times. 

JViibian, relating to Nubia, a country of Africa, south of Egypt, and 
lying on each side of the River Nile. It is the northern part of an- 
cient Ethiopia. Its inhabitants are perfectly black. 

J^uncio, the Pope's ambassador. 

Ophir, a place frequently mentioned in Scripture, and supposed to 
have been situated in the East Indies or on the eastern coast of 
Africa. It was celebrated for its gold, ivory, spices, and other val 
uable productions, for which it was visited in the time of David and 
Solomon. 

Optical delusion, deception of the eye-sight. 

Order of Santiago, or St. James, a Spanish military order, instituted 
in 1170, by Ferdinand II., to stop the incursions of the Moors. The 
battle cry of the Spaniards, when engaging the Moors, was Santiago. 
" The knights were required to prove their descent from families 
that have been noble on both sides, for four generations, and that 
their ancestors have neither been Jews, Saracens, nor heretics, nor 
called in question by the Inquisition. Their vows are those of pov- 
erty, obedience, conjugal fidelity, and the defence of the immaculate 
conception of the holy Virgin." 

Our Lady, a name by which the Virgin Mary is sometimes called by 
Roman Catholics. 

Papal Bull, an instrumeni, ordinance, or decree of the Pcdc, relating 
to matters of faith, or the affairs of the Romish Church, written on 
parchment, and having a leaden or golden seal. The name, from 
the Italian, boUa, was originally apolied to the seal itself. 

Papal Chair, the throne of the Pope. 

Patents, vit'iimgs given by the proper authority and duly authenticated 
granting a privilege to some person or persons. 



GLOSSARY. 30i 

Pater noster, the Lord's prayer ; so called from the first two Latin 
words, signifying Our Father. 

Patios, courts, or open spaces in front of, or behind, houses. 

Patriarch, in the Church, a dignitary or officer superior to the arch- 
bishop. 

Paijed, from pay, a nautical or sea phrase, implying to daub or anoint 
the surface of any body in order to preserve it from injury by water 
or weather. 

Penitences, sufferings endured as an expression of repentance for sins. 

Phantasy, freak, caprice. 

Phenicians, inhabitants of Phenicia, a territory in Syria, on the eastern 
coast of the Mediterranean, and northwest of Palestine, the prin- 
cipal cities of which were Tyre and Sidon. The Phenicians were 
early celebrated as adventurous mariners, and the invention of letters 
is attributed to them. They planted colonies on the shores of the 
Mediterranean, particularly Carthage, Hippo, Marseilles, and Utica, 
and their manufactures acquired such a superiority over those ol 
other nations, that among the ancients whatever was elegant, great, 
or pleasing, either in apparel or domestic utensils, was called Sido- 
nian. In the time of Solomon, it is said, there were "none who 
were skilled how to hew timber like the Sidonians." 

Pillars of Hercules. According to some authors, two pillars are said 
to have been erected by Hercules, a celebrated hero in ancient my- 
thology, upon the mountains on each side of the strait, named aftei 
him, (now known as the Straits of Gibraltar,) intended to point out 
the limits of his wanderings to the west. By other authors the 
mountains themselves are called the 'Pillars.' That on the Asiatic 
side is called Abyla, that on the European side, Calpe. The latter 
is now Gibraltar. 

Plato, a celebrated Greek philosopher, born about 429 B. C. He 
died on his eighty-second birthday. His name was given him, 
(from a Greek word, signifying broad,) on account of the breadth 
of his chest and forehead. 

Pliny, a distinguished Roman scholar and historian. His best known 
and most valued work is that entitled Natural History or History 
of the World. He filled many public offices. All time not required 
for official duties, he devoted to his literary pursuits. " He was a 
very early riser even in winter ; often did not retire to bed at all ; 
and used to read while at meals, and in the bath, or had some one to 
read to him. He diligently noted down every thing of importance ; 
and often said, that no book was so bad, but that something might 
be learned from it." When not able to write, he dictated to others. 
He fell a sacrifice to his spirit of inquiry, in the year 79 ; when 
being near Vesuvius, during a terrible eruption of that volcano, he 
was induced to approach it, in order to examine it the more closely, 
and whilst engaged in his scientific investigations, on the second 
day, " he perished by a suffocating vapor which spread over the 
whole country." 

Posada, a tavern or inn. 

Promised Land, Palestine, anciently called Canaan. It received the 
name of Land of promise, (see Heb. xi. 9,) on account of having 



304 GLOSSABi'. 

been promised to the posterity of Abraham. " It embraces the coast 
of Syria on the Mediterranean, from Lebanon, south to the limits 
of Egypt, and was one of the most fertile countries of the old world. ' ' 

Ptolemy, a celebrated geographer, mathematician, and astronomer, 
born in Egypt, in the year 70 ; who is considered the first astron 
omer of antiquity. He was the earliest writer who sought to fix the 
situation of places by their latitude and longitude. 

Pundonor, (Spanish,) point of honor. 

Regidors, magistrates of a city. 

Repartimientos, (Spanish,) partition, division, distribution. 

Rove?-, pirate, freebooter. 

Sagas, Icelandic heroic tales. 

Saint Augustine, one of the most renowned fathers of the Christian 
Church. He was born at Tagaste, a small city in Africa, November 
13, 354 : and died at Hippo, August 28, 403. 

Saint George, " the holy knight ; according to ancient legends, a 
prince of Cappadocia," which was formerly one of the most impor- 
tant provinces of Asia. " His greatest achievement was the con- 
quest of a dragon, by which he effected the deliverance of a king's 
daughter. He is commonly represented on horseback, in full 
armor, with the formidable dragon writhing at his feet. The 
drawing is founded on the tradition that Aja, the daughter of an an- 
cient monarch, was met by a dragon, which attacked and threat- 
ened to devour her." The knight passing by, slew the dragon 
and rescued the lady. The ancient Christian emperors bore a 
representation of the knight upon their standards. To these sacred 
banners, was attributed a miraculous power, and it was supposed 
that those who fought under them were sure of conquering. Saint 
George is called the protector and patron of the English nation. 

Saint Thomas, one of the Twelve Apostles, whose name has been 
given to many places. The reason of its being given by Columbus, 
to the place mentioned on page 119, is there stated ; and its ap- 
propriateness may be judged of by reference to the Gospel of St. 
John, chapter xx. verses 24 to 29, where the occurrence is recorded 
that Columbus at the time had in mind. 

Salve Regina, the name of the vesper or evening hymn to the Virgin, 
that is, to Mary, the mother of Christ. 

Sa7i Antonio, St. Anthony, born in Lisbon, August 15, 1195, and 
died at Padua, Italy, June 13, 1231. He was a disciple of St. 
Francis, and a prominent advocate of the Franciscan order. He is, 
by tradition, said to have been so eloquent, that the very fishes 
were moved by his exhortations and preaching. 

Santa, (Spanish,) Saint. 

Santa Maria, Holy Mary ; an exclamation of surprise or wonder. 

Satyrs, wood gods, or fabulous deities who are said to have presided 
over woods. 

(Saiwrw, oneof the fabulous deities of the ancients, who is said to have 
taught the people of Italy agriculture and the useful and liberal arts. 
While he was king of Italy, his reign was so mild and popular, so 
beneficent and virtuous, that it has been called the golden age, to 
intimate the happiness and tranquillity which the earth then enjoyed. 



GLOSSARY. 305 

Scandinavian, from Scandinavia, the ancient name of the northern 
portion of Europe, embracing Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, 
&c. 

See, the jurisdiction of a bishop or archbishop. 

Semi-barbarous, half savage ; partially civilized. 

Soieca, a philosopher, born in the first year of the Christian era, at 
Corduba, in Spain. Most of his life was spent in Rome. He was 
condemned to death upon suspicion of being engaged in a conspiracy. 
Being allowed to choose the manner of his death, he caused his veins 
to be opened ; but the blood not flowing rapidly, he swallowed 
poison, and was subsequently drowned in a warm bath. 

Senor, Sir or master. 

Siesta, (Spanish,) the time for taking a nap after dinner, generally 
from one to three o'clock. In this volume, it signifies the nap 
itself 

Southern Ocean, the sea situated south of an imaginary line drawn 
from Cape Horn, the southern extremity of the American continent, 
to the Cape of Good Hope, and continuing east, around back again 
to Cape Horn. 

Staff, in military affairs, consists of a quarter-master general, adjutant 
general, majors of brigade, aids-de-camp, &c. ; this term, therefore, 
means generally, the officers whose command extends over several 
bodies of troops, of which each has its particular officers. The 
term is derived from the baton or staff" which was formerly carried 
by officers high in command. 

Strabo, an eminent Greek geographer, born in Cappadocia, about the 
19th year of the Christian era. He travelled extensively in Greece, 
Italy, Egypt, and various parts of Asia. " His great geographical 
work, in seventeen books, contains a full account of the manners 
and governments of different people," and is deemed invaluable. 

Superhuman, more than human ; divine. 

Superior, the head or chief man of a monastery. 

Te Deum laudamus. We praise thee O Lord ! The commencing 
words of a hymn of praise, frequently chanted on the occasion of 
some great national event. 

Teredo, a shell-fish of a tubular shape and about six inches long. It 
is very destructive to ships, perforating their bottoms in all direc- 
tions. One species of this animal, it is said, has more than once 
threatened Holland with ruin, by the destruction of the dikes, which 
are raised to prevent the sea from overflowing the country. 

Terra Firma, literally, firm earth or solid land ; used in this volume, 
as the mainland or continent. 

Thomas, St., see St. Thomas. 

Thule, a name given by the ancients to the most extreme land to the 
north, with which they were acquainted. In this volume, Iceland 
is meant. Probably the name was not always applied to the same 
place, by different writers, but varied with the progress of discov- 
ery. 

Tinto. This river is so called from its waters being tinged of a yel- 
low color. It is situated in the Spanish province of Seville, and 
empties into the Atlantic at the tov/n of Huelva. 
26* 



306 GLOSSARY. 

Tripiolemus, an ancient king of Attica, who is said to have been 
taught by Ceres, every thing which related to agriculture, and how 
to plough the ground, to sow and reap the corn, to make bread, 
and to take particular care of fruit-trees. He is also said to have 
travelled over the earth distributing corn to all the inhabitants of the 
world. 

Tunis, one of the Barbary States, in Africa, situated on the Mediter 
ranean Sea, between Algiers and Tripoli. 

Ultima Thule, see Thule. 

Variation of the needle, deviation of the magnetic needle of the- 
compass from the true north point, towards which it naturally turns. 

Vasco de Gama, a Portuguese, born at the small sea-port of Sines, 
of a noble family. " He discovered the route to the East Indies by 
sea ; a discovery of the greatest importance, not only in regard to 
commerce, but to the civilization and political relations of Europe, 
and which laid the foundation of the commercial power of Portugal 
in the Indian seas." He died in 1524, at Goa, in the East Indies. 

Veering, changing the course of a vessel. 

Vega, plain. 

Venetian, belonging or relating to Venice. 

Venta, an inn. 

Vesper-peal, the sound of the bell for evening religious service 

Vicar, representative. 

Vinland, according to the recent investigations of the Royal Society 
of Northern Antiquaries, at Copenhagen, this name was given by the 
European voyagers, who are supposed to have visited America in 
the 10th and 11th centuries, to that portion of the country now includ- 
ed within the limits of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The name 
was selected in consequence of the great abundance of grape-vines 
that were met with ; vinland, vineland, land of vines. 

Virgin ore, pure, unadulterated ore. 

Weather-boards, boards placed in an inclined position to prevent the 
sea from breaking in upon a vessel. 

Yuca, Yucca, or Jucca, a name given by the natives of America and 
the West India Islands to a shrub, which grows to the height of three 
feet, and bears broad, shining, hand-shaped leaves, and beautiful 
white and rose-colored flowers. It is the Jatropha manihot of bota- 
nists. Its roo's are poisonous in their natural state, but when pre- 
pared by heat are harmless and nutritive. The natives of this con- 
tinent, and the adjacent islands, when first visited by the Europeans, 
were in the practice of making a kind of bread of these roots, which 
they called Cassava or Cassada. 
Zemi, (plural Zemes,) a name given by the natives of the ;"sland of His- 
paniola, to supposed inferior deities who acted as mediators or mes 
sengers between the Supreme Being and man. 



INDEX. 



A. 

Aborigines of New World, 61. 
Customs and charicteristics of, 
120,121,130. Diificultieswith, 
81, 104, 142, 149, 159, 173, 
180, 227, 228, 229. Their sub- 
jection, 151. Conspiracies of, 
173. Extirpation of, 256. 

Acul, Bay of, supposed to be that 
to which Columbus gave the 
name St. Thomas, 73. 

Adelantado, Columbus appoints his 
brother Bartholomew, 140, 149, 
158. Appointment confirmed by 
the Sovereigns, 163. 

Admiral and Viceroy, Columbus 
demands to be appointed, 44. 
Is appointed, 47. Directs his 
heir never to use any other title 
in his signature, than ' the Ad- 
miral,' 163, 266. 

Aguado, Juan, appointed commis 
sioner, 154. Sails from Spain, 
155. His arrival at Hayti, and 
his conduct, 155, 156. Depart 
ure for Spain, 159. Result of 
his mission, 162. 

Alcantara, order of, 208. 

Alexander VI., Pope, his charac 
ter, 96. His bull dividing the 
New World between Spain and 
Portugal, 97. 

Alhambra, 43, 196, 204, 212 
260. 

Alpha and Omega, name given by 
Columbus to eastern end of Cu 
ba, 70, 129. 

Alphonso, of Portugal, cause of 
discovery languishes under, 23. 

Alvarado, Diego de, 199. 



Amazons, 82, 159. 

America, Scandinavian voyages to 
iii. iv. Knowledge of, lost to 
mankind, iv. 

Amerigo Vespucci, 190, 262. 

Anacaona, wife of Caonabo, 172, 
175, 192, 193, 254, 255. 

Anana or pine-apple, first met with, 
103. 

Ancients, geographical theories of, 
17, 18, 19. 

Andalusia, Palos in, see Palos. 
Inhabitants of the seaboard or- 
dered to furnish Columbus with 
supplies, 49, 98. 

Angel, Luis de St., receiver of the 
ecclesiastical revenues of Arra- 
gon, appeals to the Q,ueen in be- 
half of Columbus, and is success- 
ful, 45. Offers to advance the 
funds necessary, and his offer is 
accepted, 46. 

Anjou, John of, Duke of Calabria, 
fits out a naval expedition, 11. 

Antilla, Island of, 17, 20. 

Antilles, 20, 67, 103. 

Arabian geographer's description of 
the Atlantic, iv. 

Arana, Diego de, notary and algu- 
azil of the armament, left in 
command at La Navidad, 79, 
106, 108. 

Archipelago, in Caribbean Sea, 
131, 233. 

Arenal, Point, 168. 

Arey'os, rhymes or ballads of the 
Natives, 124, 151. 

Aristotle's opinion of the ocean, 19, 
Description of a weedy sea, 55, 

Arragon, Ferdinand king of, 30. 



303 



INDEX. 



Arrows, Gulf of, 81, 105. 

Asia, Columbus thinks he has ar- 
rived at, 96, 134, 270. 

Assassination of Columbus, pro- 
posed to King John of Portugal, 
88. 

Atlantic, description of, by Xerif 
al Edresi, iv. 

, mariners feared to em- 
bark on, 14. 

Atlantis, Island of, Egyptian legend 
respecting, iii. 17. 

Augustine, St., Cape, 206. 

Aura Chersonesus, 134, 224, 236 

Azna, port of, 187. 

Azores, 21, 84, 97. 
B. 

Babeque, a word used by Natives 
and supposed by Columbus to 
be the name of an island or 
province, 70. 

Badajoz, Fonseca Bishop of, 164 

Bahama Islands, Columbus first 
lands on one of them, 64. 

Ballester, Miguel, 177, 183. 

Baptism of Indians, 99, 106. 

Barcelona, court at, 89. Reception 
of Columbus at, 92, 262. 

Barrameda, San Lucar de, 166. 

Bastides, 220. 

Battles with Natives, 81, 104, 142, 
149, 159, 173, 180, 227, 228, 
229. 

Bautista, San Juan, Island, 105 

Bayonne, 90. 

Baza, Columbus at surrender of, 
39. Menace from Grand Sol 
dan of Egypt brought to, 39. 

Behechio, cacique, 143, 144, 172, 
174, 254. 

Belen or Bethlehem, River, 223 
224. 

Bell, the wonder of the Savages 
146. 

Benin, a powerful kingdom said to 
be east of it, 14. 

Bermejo, Rodriguez, discovers 
land, 60. His disappointment at 
not receiving a reward, 95. 

Bethlehem, River, 223, 224. 

Birth and parentiigcof Columbus, 9. 



Biscay, B»y of, 90. 

Bias, Point, 233. 

Blood hounds, 149, 150. 

Bobadilla, Francisco de, 197. Ap- 
pointed commissioner, 197. Ar- 
rests Columbus, and sends him 
home in irons, 201. Indignation 
of the Sovereigns, and his recall, 
205, 206. Sails for Spain, 215 
Perishes in a tempest, 216. 

Boca del Drago, 170, 190. 

Bohio, a name used by the Natives, 
and supposed by Columbus to 
be the name of an island or 
province, 70. 

Bojador, Cape, belief that whoev- 
er doubled it would never return, 
14. Doubled under Prince Hen- 
ry of Portugal, 15. 

Bonao, village, 183, 188, 193, 
194. 

Boriquen, Island, 105. 

Boyle, see Buyl. 

Brandan, a Scottish priest, said to 
have discovered an imaginary isl- 
arid in the Atlantic, 17. 

Brazil, 99. 

Breviesca, Ximeno de, 165. 

Buentiempo, Gulf of, 130. 

Bull, Papal, see Papal. 

Burgos, Columbus meets the sov- 
ereigns at, 162. 

Buyl, or Boyle, Bernardo, the 
Pope's vicar in New World, 98, 
111, 127, 129, 141, 148, 153, 
154, 162. 

C. 

Cabals, 57, 58, 59, 116, 127 

Cabinet, or El Retrete, 220. 

Cabo de la Cruz, 131, 136. 

Cabral, Pedro Alvarez, 212. 

Cabron, Cape, 180. 

Cacique visits Columbus, 73. 

of Cibao or Maguana, see 

Caonabo, and Manicaotex. Of 
Ciguay, see ]Mayonabex. Of 
Grand River, see Guatiguana. 
Of Higuey, see Cotabanama. 
Of Marion, see Guacanagari. 
Of Vega Real, or Royal Plain, 
see Guarionex. Of Veragua, se* 



INDEX. 



309 



Q,uibian. Of Xaragua, see Behe 
chio. 

Cacique, female, married to Migu 
el Diaz, 157, 171. 

of Jamacia visits Colum- 
bus, 136. 

Cadiz, Columbus sails from, 102, 
214. Returns to, 161, 204. 

Cado, Firmin, 116, 119. 

Cahay, province of, 192, 193. 

Calatrava, order of, 197. 

Calicut, 212. 

Cambalu, mentioned by Marco 
Polo, 20. 

Canary Islands, rediscovery of, 13. 
Optical delusion of inhabitants 
of, 17. Columbus touches at, 
52, 102. 

Cannibals, 103. 

Canoes of the natives, 64, 130. 

Caonabo, cacique of Cibao, 77 
107, 109, 126, 128, 142, 143, 
144, 145, 146. Captured by Oje 
da, 147. His brother heads the 
allied caciques, 149. Death of, 
159, 160. 

Cape Cruz, 131, 136, 234. 

Cuba, name given by Colum- 
bus, 70. 

de la Vela, 190. 

de Verde,15, 19, 26, 97, 99, 

166, 167. 

Francois, 122. 

Gracios a Dios, 209. 

Honduras, 218. 

Maysi, 129. 

— Nombre de Dios, 220. 
Non, 87. 

of Good Hope, 138, 212. 

of Palms, name given by Co- 
lumbus to a headland in Cuba, 
68. 

St. Augustine, 206. 

St. Vincent, 12, 21. 

Tiburon, 137, 172, 249. 

Carib, 76, 81, 103, 115, 142, 
147. 

Caribbean Islands, 81, 82, 103, 
104, 137, 159, 166, 191, 214. 

Sea, 103. 

Carvajal, Alonzo Sanchez de, 129, 



182, 183, 185. Columbus ap- 
points him his agent in Hispani- 
ola, 210, 217. 

Castile, Isabella Queen of, 30. 
Crown of, 97, see Spain, and Isa- 
bella. Philip and Juana, King 
and Queen of, 264. 

Catalina, Indian captive. Ill, 112, 

114. Female cacique married to 
Miguel Diaz, 158. 

Cathay, mention of, 20, 21, 47, 
68, 129. 

Cat Island, name given to San 
Salvador by the English, 64. 

Cavern nearCape Francois, whence 
the Natives suppose the sun and 
moon to have emerged, 122. 

Cazadilla, Bishop of Ceuta, op- 
poses the plans of Columbus, 26. 
Suggests a scheme to defraud 
Columbus of the honor of his 
enterprise, 26. 

Centaurs — the inhabitants of His- 
paniola at first suppose the rider 
and horse to be one animal, 119. 

Character of Columbus, 15, 22, 
54,94,265. Of Martin Alonzo 
Pinzon, see Pinzon. 

Characteristics of the Natives, 120. 

Chersonesus, Aura, 134, 224, 236. 

Christian faith, Columbus anxious 
to propagate, 47, 48. 

Christoval, St., Fort, 171. 

Cibao, mentioned by Guacanagari, 
as a gold region, 77. Cacique 
of, 107. Mountains of, 114, 

115, 117, 119, 120, 143, 158, 
160. 

Ciguare, kingdom of, 219, 220. 
Ciguay, mountains of, 81, 82, 

179. 
Cintra, rock of, Columbus arrives 

at, 85. 
Cipango, supposed island of, 20, 

52, 65, 77. 
Coast of Contradictions, 223. 
Coasting of Hispaniola, 71. 
Coat-of-arms of Columbus, 94. 
Colombo, with whom Columbus 

made his first voyages, 10, 11, 12. 
Colonbo, Juan Antonio, 182. 



310 



INDEX. 



Columbus, birth, parentage, edu- 
cation, and early life of, 9 ; sails 
with Colombo, 10, 11, 12, en- 
gaged in a desperate battle, 12 ; 
providential escape, 12 ; first ar- 
rival in Portugal, 12 ; his resi- 
dence in Lisbon, 15 ; description 
of his person, 13 ; his temper 
and disposition, 16 ; his piety, 
16, 24 ; his marriage, 16 ; in- 
formation derived from his moth- 
er-in-law, 16 ; naturalized in 
Portugal, 16 ; sails to Guinea, 16; 
makes maps and charts, 16; con- 
ceives the idea of crossing the At- 
lantic, 18 ; grounds of his belief 
in existence of undiscovered lands 
in the West, 18; his correspond- 
ence with Toscanelli, 18 ; his 
geographical and astronomical 
knowledge, 18, 19 ; information 
from Marco Polo, 19 ; encour- 
aged by Toscanelli to seek India 
by a western route, 19, 20 ; Mar- 
co Polo's work a key to many 
of the ideas of Columbus, 20 ; 
conjectural map by win h Co- 
lumbus governed himself in his 
first voyage, 20 ; his enterprise 
aided by two happy errors, 21 ; 
his deep religious sentiment, and 
enthusiastic nature of his concep- 
tions, 22, 48 ; voyage to Thule, 
23 ; presents his views to King 
Johnof Portugal, 25 ; subject re- 
ferred to a junto of learned men, 

25 ; they reject the project, 26 ; 
subject referred to a council, who 
also rejected it, 26 ; scheme of 
Cazadilla to defraud Columbus, 

26 ; his indignation and refusal 
to negotiate again with King John, 

26 ; death of his wife, 26 ; de- 
parture from Portugal in a secret 
wianner, on account of being in 
debt, 27 ; a year of his life in- 
volved in uncertainty, 27 ; prop- 
osition to Genoa, 27 ; rejected, 

27 ; Venice, 27 ; piety to his 
father, 27 ; sends his brother Bar- 
tholomew to England, 27 ; goes 



to Spain in great poverty, 27 ; 
first trace of him in Spain, 28 ; 
manuscript documents of a law- 
suit between his son Diego and 
the crown, 28 ; deposition of 
Fernandez, physician of Palos, 
28 ; conversation with Friar Juan 
Perez, 28 ; with other inhabit- 
ants of Palos, 29 ; his views ap- 
proved, 29 ; concurrence of ]Mar- 
tin Alonzo Pinzon, 29 ; his oflier 
of assistance, 29 ; letter of Juan 
Perez to Q.ueen's confessor, 29; 
Columbus leaves his son Diego 
at the convent, and departs for 
the court, 29 ; finds it impossible 
to obtain a hearing, 32 ; treated 
as a dreamer and madman, 32 ; 
supports himself by making maps 
and charts, 32; becomes attach- 
ed to Doiia Beatrix Enriquez, 
mother of his son Fernando, 33 ; 
his theory gains proselytes, 33 ; 
Q,uintanilla, comptroller of the 
finances, the Geraldinis,and Men- 
doza, countenance him, 33 ; ob- 
tains a royal audience, 33 ; his 
appearance in presence of the 
King, 34 ; a council summoned 
at Salamanca, 34 ; his appear- 
ance there, 35 ; their objections, 
35 ; some of the council are con- 
vinced of the soundness of his 
plans, 38 ; his attendance upon 
the court, 39 ; engaged in some 
of the severest campaigns, 39 ; 
his personal prowess, 39 ; pres- 
ent at the surrender of Malaga 
and Baza, and beholds El Zagal 
surrender his crown, 39 ; indig- 
nation at threat of Soldan of 
Egypt, 39 ; devotes profits of his 
discoveries to a crusade for res- 
cue of holy sepulchre, 39 ; presses 
for a final reply from the Sov- 
ereigns, 40 ; council condemns 
the scheme, and Columbus quits 
the court, filled with disappoint- 
ment and indignation, 40 ; re- 
ceives favorable letters from kings 
of England and France, 41 ; king 



INDEX. 



311 



of Portugal iavites him to return 
to that court, 41 ; but he is at- 
tached to Spain, 41 ; applies to 
dukes of Medina Sidonia and Me- 
dina Cell, but is disappointed, 
41 ; the latter writes to the Q,ueen 
in favor of Columbus, 41; whore- 
turns to LaRabida, 42 ; through 
the influence of Juan Perez, he 
is sent for by the Queen, 42 ; 
arrives in time to witness the 
surrender of Granada, 43 ; re- 
marks of an elegant Spanish 
writer on the occasion, 43 ; the 
Spanish monarchs now comply 
with his requests, 44 ; difficulties 
still in the way, 44; he demands 
to be appointed admiral and vice- 
roy, and have one tenth of the 
profits of his discoveries, 44 ; of- 
fers to furnish one eighth of the 
cost, 44 ; all his proposals re- 
jected, and he again retires in- 
dignant at his treatment, 44 ; his 
friends make a bold effort, and 
prevail upon the Queen, 45 ; who 
now, for the first time, views the 
subject in its real grandeur, 45 ; 
resolves to pledge her jewels to 
raise the necessary funds, 45 ; 
Columbus recalled, and returns 
to the court, 46 ; has an audience 
of the Queen, 46 ; her benignity 
atones for past neglect, 46 ; ar- 
ticles of agreement between Co- 
lumbus and the Sovereigns, 47 ; 
one great object of Columbus, 
the propagation of the Christian 
faith, 47 ; anxious to recover the 
holy sepulchre from the Infidels, 
48, 94 ; his son Diego appointed 
page to Prince Juan, 49 ; leaves 
the court and repairs to Palos, 
eighteen years having elapsed 
since he conceived his enterprise, 
49 ; arrives at Palos, and receiv- 
ed at the convent wi'ih open arms, 
49 ; royal order for the caravels 
read in the church, 49 ; horror 
of the inhabitants, 49 ; difficul- 
ties encountered, 50 ; embarks. 



51 inconsiderable armament, 
51 , Columbus confesses him- 
self, 51 ; gloom of inhabitants of 
Palos at the embarcation, 51 ; 
events of the first voyage — diffi- 
culties, 52 ; cruising about the 
Canary Islands in search of anoth- 
er vessel, 52 ; three Portuguese 
caravels seen off" Ferro, 53 ; 
hearts of crews fail on losing 
sight of land, 53 ; stratagem of 
keeping two reckonings, 54 ; falls 
in with mast of a large vessel, 
54; alarm of the crew, 54; varia- 
tion of the needle first discovered, 
54 ; high opinion entertained of 
Columbus as an astronomer, by 
his crew, 54 ; serenity of the 
weather, 55 ; signs of land, 55 ; 
Columbus urged to change hi? 
course, 55 ; but refuses, 55 ; 
birds seen, 55 ; sea covered with 
weeds, 56 ; secret cabals, 58 , 
Pinzon thinks he discovers land, 
and Gloria in excelsis Deo is 
chanted, 58; disappointment, 58; 
eager excitement, 58 ; course al- 
tered, 58 ; complaints of crew, 
59 ; open rupture, 59 ; new in- 
dications of land, 59 ; Columbus 
discovers a light, CO ; Bermejo 
sees land, 60 ; feelings of Co- 
lumbus, 60 ; his first landing in 
the New World, 61 ; his sensa- 
tions, 62 ; he takes possession in 
the name of the Castilian Sover- 
eigns, and names the Island San 
Salvador, 62 ; coiduct of his fol- 
lowers, 62 ; astonishment of the 
Natives, 62 ; Columbus particu- 
larly attracts their attention, 63 ; 
supposes h'jmself to have landed 
in India, and calls the Natives In- 
dians, 64; gold seen, 65; Colum- 
bus interprets the signs of the Na- 
tives according to his own cher- 
ished wishes, 65 ; sails among 
the islands, 65 ; enchanted by 
their lovely scenery, 66; searches 
for Cuba, 66 ; arrives there, 67 , 
his feelings, 67 ; sends envoyi 



312 



INDEX. 



to the interior of Cuba, 63 ; they 
return, unsuccessful, 69 ; meet 
with natives smoking tobacco, 
69 ; illusions of Columbus, 69 ; 
desertion of Martin Alonzo Pin- 
zon, 70 ; discovery of Hayti, 71 ; 
Columbus names it Espanola,or 
Hispaniola, 72 ; capture of a fe- 
male, who is kindly treated and 
dismissed, 72 ; intercourse with 

the Cacique of , 73 ; 

with Guacanagari, Cacique of 
Marion, 73, 74 ; shipwreck, 74 ; 
efforts of Guacanagari, to con- 
sole Columbus, 75 ; germ, of a 
colony, 78 ; fort built at La 
Navidad, Hayti, 78 ; colony left 
there, and Columbus embarks 
for Spain, SO; Pinzon rejoins him, 
80 ; visits and names the river 
Rio Gracia, 81 ; visited by the 
people of Ciguay, 81 ; skirmish 
with them at the Gulf of Arrows, 
or Salama, 81 ; their afterwards 
friendly feelings, 82 ; Columbus 
makes all sail for Spain, 82 ; 
tempests, 82 ; Pinzon separated 
from Columbus. 83 ; lots cast, 
and vows of pilgrimages and 
penitences made, 83 ; repinings 
of the crew, 83 ; distress of Co- 
lumbus, 83 ; writes an account 
of the voyage on parchment, and 
sealing it in a cask, throws it 
into the sea, 84 ; calm, 84 ; in- 
hospitable reception at St. Mary's 
Island , 84 ; part of his crew cap- 
tured, 84 ; apology of governor, 
85 ; departure, 85 ; tempest, 85; 
anchors at mouth of Tagus, 86 ; 
visit to the court of Portugal, and 
cordial reception, 87 ; uneasiness 
of the King, 87 ; proposal to him 
to have Columbus assassinated, 
rejected, 88 ; Columbus visits 
the Queen at Villa Franca, 89 ; 
returns to Palos, 89 ; joy of in- 
habitants, 89 ; Columbus writes 
to the Sovereigns, and departs 
for Seville, 89 ; reply of the 
Sovereigns, 89 ; their joy and 



astonishment, 89 ; honors of Co. 
lumbus, 90 ; Martin Alonzo Pin 
zon's arrival at Palos, 90 ; re 
ception of Columbus by the Sov- 
ereigns at Barcelona, 92 ; coat- 
of-arms bestowed upon him, 94 ; 
pension of thirty crowns award- 
ed to him, 95 ; anecdote respect- 
ing the egg, 95 ; preparations for 
second voyage, 97, 99 ; difficul- 
ties, 101 ; departure, 102 ; con- 
trast between his first and second 
departure, 102 ; enthusiasm of 
people, 102 ; his sons, 102 ; 
touches at Canary islands, 102 ; 
discovers Dominica, 103 ; can- 
nibalism, 103 ; men missing, 

104 ; search for them, 104 ; 
their return, 104 ; encounter witi) 
Indians, 104 ; Islands named 
Eleven Thousand Virgins, dis- 
covered, 105 ; Porto Rico dis- 
covered, 105 ; arrives at Hayti, 

105 ; dismisses one of the In- 
dians who accompanied him lo 
Spain, 105 ; finds dead bodies 
on the shore, 106 ; arrives at 
La Navidad, 106 ; finds it in 
ruins, 107 ; visits Guacanagari, 
110 ; founds city of Isabella, 
113 ; his sickness, 114 ; con- 
spiracy formed by Diaz de Pisa, 
116; Columbus arrests him, 1 17; 
expedition to Cibao, 117 ; names 
the Vega Real, 118 ; builds a 
fortress, and calls it St. Thomas, 
119 ; leaves Pedro Margarite in 
command, and returns to Isa- 
bella, 120 ; difficulties at St. 
Thomas, 126 ; at Isabella, 127 ; 
letter to JMargarite, 128 ; forms 
junta for government of Hayti, 
129; cruise along coast of Cuba, 
129 ; discovers Jamaica, 130 ; 
returns to Cuba, 130 ; discovers 
Cabo de la Cruz, 131 ; Queen's 
Garden, 131 ; delusions, 132 ; 
thinks he has found the Aurea 
Chersonesus, 134 ; vessels worn 
out, 134 ; oliliges his officers and 
crew to sign a deposition thai 



INDEX. 



313 



Cuba was a continent, 134 ; at 
the same time this error could 
have been dispelled by looking 
from the mast head, 134 ; erects 
a cross on the banks of the Rio de 
la Misa, in Cuba, 135 ; speech of 
a venerable Indian, 135 ; names 
the river, 136 ; sails for Jamaica, 

136 ; visited by a cacique and 
family, 136 ; speech of the ca- 
cique, 136 ; arrives at Hayti, 

137 • illness ; sinks into a leth- 
argy, 138 ; vessel arrives with 
him at Isabella, 133 ; finds his 
brother Bartholomew, 138 ; re- 
lation of Bartholomew's visit to 
England, 138 ; Columbus ap- 
points him Adelantado, 140 ; 
further difficulties ; absconding of 
Margarite and Boyle, 140, 141 ; 
difficulties with natives, 142 ; 
Ojeda's exploits, 142, 147 ; Gua- 
canagari visits Columbus, 144 ; 
effects of the illness of Columbus, 
144 ; his brothers, 144 ; Ojeda 
captures Caonabo, 145 ; and 
brings him to Isabella, 147 ; ar- 
rival of ships from Spain, with 
flattei-ing letter from the Sov- 
ereigns, and invitation to return 
to Spain, 148 ; sends his brother 
Diego in his stead, 148 ; sends 
Indian captives to be sold as 
slaves, 149 ; recovers his health, 
149 ; new troubles with Indians, 
149 ; Columbus marches against 
them, 149 ; battle, ia which the 
Indians are routed, 150 ; erects 
fortresses to keep the Indians in 
subjection, 151 ; difficulties in 
Spain ; accusations against Co- 
lumbus, 153 ; his influence de- 
clines, 154 ; interference with 
his rights, 154 ; Aguado appoint- 
ed commissioner, 154 ; he ar- 
»ives at Hayii, 155 ; his conduct, 

155 ; moderation of Columbus, 

156 ; he prepares to sail for 
Spain, 156 ; rich gold mines dis- 
covered, 157 ; Columbus thinks 
this the ancient Ophir, and the 

27 



mines whence Solomon procured 
his gold, 158 ; leaves his brother 
Bartholomew governor, and sails 
for Spain, 159 ; tedious voyage, 
159 ; death of Caonabo, 160 ; 
short allowance of food, 161 ; 
arrival at Cadiz, 161 ; feeble ap- 
pearance of the crews, 161 ; Co 
lumbus clothes himself as a Fran- 
ciscan monk, 161 ; meets the Sov- 
ereigns at Burgos, 162; his recep- 
tion, 162 ; proposes a third voy- 
age, 162 ; the Sovereigns promise 
to comply with his requests, but a 
long delay is experienced, 162 ; 
Isabella enters into his plans with 
spirit, but Ferdinand looks coldly 
on him, 163 ; he is relieved from 
his share of an eighth part of the 
cost, 163 ; allowed to establish 
an entailed estate in his fami- 
ly, 163 ; charges his successor 
to use no other title than ' the 
Admiral,' 163 ; title of Adelan- 
tado confirmed to his brother, 

163 ; difficulties in procuring vol- 
untary recruits, 164 ; Columbus 
proposes to transport criminals, 

164 ; thwarted by Fonseca, 164 ; 
insulted by Ximenes, and strikes 
him, 165 ; sails on his third voy- 
age, 166 ; sultry weather, 167 ; 
discovers Trinidad, and the Ori- 
noco, 168 ; explores the Gulf of 
Paria, 168 ; surprise at phenom- 
ena, 169 ; returns to Hispaniola, 
171 ; administration of his broth- 
er, 171, &c. ; Columbus ap- 
proves it, 181 ; Roldan's rebel- 
lion, 181 ; measures of Colum- 
bus, 181 ; disaffection of his 
men, 181 ; writes to the Sover- 
eigns, 181 ; negotiations with the 
rebels, 184, 185 ; obliged to 
agree to their terms, 185, 187 ; 
tour to the fortresses, 186 ; let- 
ter from Fonseca, 186 ; further 
difficulties, 187 ; sends for his ' 
son Diego, 189 ; Ojeda's arrival 
from Spain on an expedition of 
his own, 189 ; Roldan sent to 



314 



IWDEX. 



call him to account ; 190 ; fur- 
ther difficulties, 191, &c. ; pun- 
ishment of the rebels, 193, 194 ; 
Columbus considers the suppres- 
sion of this faction owing to a 
special interposition of Heaven, 
194 ; supposes he sees a vision, 
194 ; his former vow, 194 ; in- 
trigues against him at court, 195 ; 
their success, 196 ; Bobadilla 
sent out to supersede him, 197 ; 
his arrival at Hispaniola, 197 ; 
his treatment of Columbus, 198, 
&c. ; he arrests Columbus and 
puts him in irons, 201 ; and sends 
him to Spain, 203 ; arrival at 
Cadiz, 204 ; indignation of peo- 
ple at his treatment, 204 ; writes 
to the nurse of Prince Juan, 205; 
indignation of Isabella, 205 ; 
Sovereigns send orders to have 
him released, and treated with 
distinction; also send him money, 
and a letter expressing their grief, 
205 ; Columbus appears at court, 
and is kindly receixed, 205 ; 
promised indemnification, 206 ; 
Ferdinand's selfish policy, 206 ; 
delays, 207 ; Ovando sent to su- 
persede Bobadilla, 208 ; Colum- 
bus allowed to send an agent to 
attend to his affairs, 210 ; ap- 
ponits Carvajal, 210 ; remains at 
Granada, 211 ; prepares a book, 
211 ; writes to the Pope, 213 ; 
sails on his fourth voyage, 204 ; 
his advanced age, 214 ; accom- 
panied by his brother Bartholo- 
mew and son Fernando, 214 ; 
touches at St. Domingo, 215 ; 
not permitted to land, 215 ; tem- 
pest, in which many of his ene- 
mies perish, 216 ; only vessel 
saved that containing property 
of Columbus, 216 ; Columbus 
weathers the storm, and arrives 
on the coast of Cuba, 217 ; visit 
from a cacique and family, 217 ; 
their advice, 218 ; unfortunately 
not followed by Columbus, 218 ; 
tempests, 21S ; illness of Colum- 



bus, 218 ; arrives at Cape Dio3, 
219 ; interviews with Natives, 
and their fright at the writing of 
the Spaniards, 219 ; arrives at 
Costa Rica, and finds gold, 219 ; 
reports of the natives mislead Co- 
lumbus, 220 ; discovers Puerto 
Bello, 220 ; returns to Veragua, 
221 ; tempests, 221 ; waterspout, 

222 ; arrives at River Belen, 

223 ; intercourse with natives, 
223; apparent abundance of gold, 
223 ; founds a settlement, 224 ; 
difficulties with the Natives, 224; 
captures the cacique, 226 ; who 
afterwards escapes, 227 ; disas- 
ters, 228 ; illness and delirium 
of Columbus, 281 ; sails to Ja- 
maica, 234 ; forlorn condition, 
234 ; persuades JNIendez to go to 
Hispaniola in a canoe, 235 ; 
mutiny of Porras, 238 ; famine 
threatened, 241 ; Columbus pre- 
dicts an eclifjse, which alarms the 
Natives, and induces them to 
furnish him with provisions, 242; 
letter from Ovando, 243 ; trouble 
with the rebels, 244 ; captures 
Porras, 246 ; vessels from St. 
Domingo, 250 ; Columbus em- 
barks for that city, 250 ; his re- 
ception, 251 ; his return to Spain, 
256 ; fruitless appeals to the 
court, 257 ; death of Isabella, 
259 ; feelings of Columbus, 260; 
his illness and death, 264, 265 ; 
his character, 265 ; obsequies 
of, 290, &c. 

Columbus, Bartholomew, brother of 
Christopher, 9 ; sent by him on a 
mission to England, 27 ; meets 
him in Hayti, 138 ; notice of his 
visit to England, &c., 138 ; cap 
tured by a corsair, 138 ; char 
acter of, 139 ; appointed Ade- 
lantado by his brother, 140, 
144, 159 ; appointment con- 
firmed by the sovereigns, 163 ; 
administration of, 171 ; put in 
irons by Bobadilla, and sent to 
Spain, 202 ; immediately re 



INDEX. 



31fi 



leased by order of the sovereigns, 
204 ; sails with Columbus on his 
fourth voyage, 214. 

Columbus, Diego,brother of Chris 
topher, 9 ; Indian named after 
him, 106 ; left in command at 
Isabella, 117 ; president of jun 
ta at Hayti, 129 ; reprehends 
Margarite, 140 ; not a military 
character, 144 ; sent to Spain, 
148 ; returns, 155 ; put in irons 
byBobadilla,201; released, 204 

, Diego, son of Christo- 
pher, birth of, 17 ; taken with 
his father from Portugal, 27 
law-suit between him and the 
crown, 28 ; his entrance into 
Palos with his father, 28 ; left 
in charge of Friar Juan Perez 
29 ; appointed page to Prince 
Juan, 49 ; notice of, 102 ; Co- 
lumbus sends for him to come 
to Hispaniola, 189. 

, Fernando, younger son 

of Christopher, 9 ; his account 
of his father's adventures, 12, 
13 ; mother never married to 
Columbus, 33 ; becomes his 
Other's historian, 33 ; notice of, 
102 ; accompanies his father on 
his fourth voyage, 214, 217. 

Conception, Santa Maria de la, 
name given to an island by Co- 
lumbus, 65 ; to a harbor in Hay- 
ti, 71 ; Fort, 145, 173, 177 
178, 179, 181. 

Coney, animals like, 75. 

Conjectural map, by which Co- 
lumbus governed himself in his 
first voyage, 20, 52. 

Conspiracies, 57, 59, 116, 127, 
173. 

Contradictions, Coast of, 223. 

Contrast, between embarcation of 
Columbus on his first and second 
voyages, 102. 

Contrastes, La Costa de los, 223. 

Conversion of the heathen, 98. 

Cordova, Spanish court at, 29, 31. 
Columbus remains there a year, 
32. 



Co.onal, Pedro Fernandez, 129, 
164, 178. 

Correo, Pedro, brother-in-law of 
Columbus, 17. His informatio 
to Columbus, 21. 

Cortes, Bay of, 134. 

Costa de los Contrastes, La, 223. 

Costa Rica, 219. 

Cotabanama, cacique of Higuey. 
143, 254. 

Council at Salamanca, delibera 
tions of, 34. 

Criminals proposed to be sent to 
Hispaniola, 164. 

Cruise among the Bahama Islands, 
65 ; along the coast of Cuba, 
67, 129 ; Hispaniola, 71, 80 ; 
among the Antilles, 103 ; Ja- 
maica, 130. 

Crusade for rescue of holy sepul- 
chre, Columbus devotes his prof- 
its to, 39, 48 ; leading object of 
his ambition, 48, 210 ; his vow 
to furnish money and army, 94, 
211, 265. 

Crusades, 96. 

Cruz, Cape, 131, 136, 234. 

Cuba, Island of, discovered by 
Columbus, 67. Description of, 
67. Cape so named by Colum- 
bus, 70. Supposed to be the end 
of the Asiatic continent, 96, 134, 
270. Notices of, 129, 233, 234. 

Cubanacan, province in interior of 
Cuba, 68. 

Cubaga, Island, 170. 

Cublay Khan, 68. 

Custon:s of the Natives, 120. 
D. 

Darien, Isthmus of, Columbus sup- 
poses a strait in vicinity of, 212. 
Gulf of, 233. 



Dead bodies cast upon Island of 
Flores, 21. 

Death of Columbus's wife, 26, 
Of Martin Alonzo Pinzon, 90. 

Deluge, notions of the Aborigines 
respecting, 123. 

Demarcation, ideal line of, be- 
tween possessions of Spain and 
Portugal, in New World, 97. 



316 



INDEX. 



Deposition of officers and crew 
that Cuba was a continent, 134. 

Description of Columbus, 15, 24, 
38. Of Ferdinand and Isabella, 
29. Of Natives of New World, 
63. 

Desertion of Martin Alonzo Pin- 
zon, 70. 

Despotic sway of the Crown, 98. 

Destitution of Spaniards, 152. 

Deza, Diego de, afterwards Arch- 
bishop of Seville, seconds the 
views of Columbus, 38. As- 
sists him, 40. Letter of Colum- 
bus to, 263. 

Diaz, Bartholomew, 138. 

, Miguel, 157, 158, 171, 199. 

Difficulties with Natives, 81, 104, 
142. 

Dios, Cape Gracios a, 219. 

, Cape Nombre de, 220. 

Disasters, 52, 54, 57, 70, 74, 81, 
84, 85. 

Discontents, 57, 58, 59, 116, 127. 

Discovery, progress of, under 
Prince Henry of Portugal, 13. 
Events in Portugal relative to, 
23. Of land by Columbus, 
60. Of Cuba, 67. Of Hayti, 
71. 

Dispute between Spain and Portu- 
gal, about the New World, 85, 
87, 88, 97, 99. 

Domingo Rubio, River, 282. 

, St., Island, see Hispanio- 

la or Hayti. City of, 172. 

Dominica, discovered by Colum- 
bus, 103. 

Dragon, Mouth of, 170, 190. 
E. 

Early life of Columbus, 9. 

Eclipse foretold by Columbus, 
242. 

Edresi, an Arabian geographer 
described the Atlantic, iv. 

Education of Columbus, 9. 

Egg, anecdote respecting, 95. 

Egypt, Soldan of, his menace to 
kill all t!ie Christians in his do 
minions, 39. Columbus's feelings 
an the subject, 39, 48. 



Egyptian legend respecting Island 
of Atlantis, iii. 17. 

El Retrete, 220, 221. 

Elysium, or Indian paradise, 172. 

El Zagal, King of Granada, yields 
his crown and possessions to 
the Spanish sovereigns, 39. 

Encounters with the Indians, 81, 
104, 142, 149, 159, 173, 180, 
227, 228, 229. 

England, proposition of Columbus 
to, 27, 138. 

Enriquez, Dona Beatrix, mother 
of Columbus's second son, Fer- 
nando, 33, 265. 

Entailed estate, Columbus allowed 
to establish one in his family, 
163. 

Enthusiasm of Columbus, its effect, 
22, 48. 

Errors, two happy ones, which aid- 
ed the success of Qolumbus, 21. 

Escobar, Diego de, 177, 191, 243, 
244, 249, 250. 

Escobido, Rodrigo de, left third in 
command at La Navidad, 79, 
108. 

Espauola, or Ilispaniola, name giv- 
en by Columbus to Hayti, 72. 

Esperanza, La, 188. 

Existence of undiscovered lands in 
the West, grounds of the belief 
in, by Columbus, 18. 
F. 

Fable of Island of Atlantis, iii. 17. 

Felipa, Dona, wife of Columbus, 
16. Death of, 26. 

Female cacique, married to Miguel 
Diaz, 157, 171. 

Ferdinand, King of Arragon, de- 
scription of, 29. Appreciates 
the character of Columbus, 34. 
Assembles a council to examinr 
his plans, 34, 40. His letter te 
the Pope, 97. His craftiness, 
99,162. Unfriendly to Colum- 
bus, 196, 206. 

Ferdinand and Isabella, theii 
union, 30. Their agreement with 
Columbus, 47. Patronage of 
his plan, 47. 



INDEX. 



317 



Fernandez, Garcia, ph3'sician of 
Palos, his deposition, 28. His 
conversation with Columbus, 
29. Goes in the expedition as 
steward, 51. Mention of, 282. 

Fernandina, name given to an isl- 
and by Columbus, 65. 

Ferro, Island of, 53, 102. 

Fiesco, Bartholomew, 237, 238, 
239, 243, 247, 249. With Co- 
lumbus when he died, 265. 

First landing in the New World, 
61. 

First voyage of Columbus, 52. 

Fleches, El Golfo de las, or Gulf 
of Arrows, 81, 105. 

Flores, Island of, dead men of un- 
known race and features cast 
upon, 21. 

Fonseca, Juan Rodriguez de, arch- 
deacon of Seville, 97. Patriarch 
of the New World, 98. Has 
the superintendence of Colum- 
bus's second voyage, 97, 99, 
101. Thwarts his exertions, 
163, 164, 186, 190, 191, 195, 
213, 239. 

Fort built at LaNavidad, Hayti, 79. 

Fourth voyage, 213, 214. 
G. 

Galera, Punta de. Island, 168. 

Gama, Vasco de, 212. 

Ganges, Columbus supposes him- 
self to be near it, 220, 224. 

Genoa, birth-place of Columbus, 
9. Propositions of Columbus to, 
25, 27. Embarrassed by ruin- 
ous wars, &.C., 27. Bank of 
St. George at, 213, 265. 

Geographical theories of the an- 
cients, 17, 18, 19. 

Geraldini, Alexander, preceptor to 
the younger children of Ferdi 
nand and Isabella, countenances 
Columbus, 33. 

, Antonio, the Pope's 

nuncio, countenances Colu 
bus, 33. 

Gloria in excelsis chanted, 58. 

Gloria, Port San, 234. 

Gold, Columbus in search of, 65, 
27^ 



66, 69, 73, 76, 80, 106, 109, 
113, 114, 115, 119, 120, 129, 
130, 134, 150, 157, 158, 162, 
170, 221, 252. 

'Gol'd, adulterated, or guanin, 166. 

, large mass of, procured by 

Bobadilla, 215. 

Golden Flower of Hayti, a name 
of Anacaona, 172, 255. 

Golden House, Caonabo lord of, 
109, 160. 

Gold mines, see Cibao, Hayna, 
and Veragua. 

Gracios a Dios, Cape, 219. 

Granada, coalition of rival Kings 
of, against Spain, 31, 39. Final 
campaign against, 40. Surren- 
der of, 43. Court at, 196, 
211. 

Grand Khan, see Great Khan. 

River, 142, 145. 

Soldan of Egypt, his menace 

to Spanish sovereigns, 39. 

Great Khan, territories of, de- 
scribed by Rlarco Polo, 20, 47. 
Letters to, by sovereigns of 
Spain, 48. Columbus supposes 
he has discovered his country, 
68, 129, 162, 220, 233. 

Green River, 119. 

Guacanagari, cacique of filarion, 
sends to Columbus and invites 
him to visit his village, 73 ; his 
sorrow for Columbus's ship- 
wreck, 75 ; his reception of 
Columbus, 75 ; assists in build- 
ing a fort, 78 ; sends to Colum- 
bus on his return, 106 ; resists 
Caonabo, 109 ; Columbus visits 
him, 110 ; visits Columbus, 
111 ; disappears, 112 ; contin- 
ues friendly to the Spaniards, 
143, 144 ; treatment of, by the 
other caciques, 144 ; gives infor- 
mation of a contemplated attack, 
by allied caciques, on Isabella, 
149, 150 ; his death, 152 ; his 
character, 153. 

Guadaloupe, 103, 104, 159, 160. 

Guadalquiver, valley of, 272. 

Guanaga, Island, 217. 



J18 



INDEX. 



Guanaliaiii, native name of the is 
and on which Columbus first 
landed, 64. 

Guanin, or adulterated gold, jave- 
lins made of, 166. 

Guarionex, cacique, 143, 145, 173, 
174, 179, 181, 217. 

Guatiguana, cacique, 142, 144. 

Guevera, Hernando de, 192, 193, 
198, 202. 

Gulf of Paria, 168, 170, 190. 

of Venezuela, 191. 

Gutierrez, Pedro, gentleman of 
the king's bed-chamber, called 
by Columbus to see the light 
first discovered, 60. Left sec- 
ond in command at La Navidad, 
79, 108. 

H. 

Hawk's bells, 120, 150. 

Hayna, River, and gold mines of, 
158, 162, 170. 

Hayti, or Hispaniola, discovered by 
Columbus, 71. Description of, 
71, 105. Natives of, 120, &c. 
Columbus thinks it the ancient 
Ophir, 158. Difficulties at, 171. 

Heat, excessive, experienced, 169. 

Heathen, conversion of, 98. 

Heaven, Turey, Indian name for, 
76. 

Henry, Prince of Portugal, prog- 
ress of discovery under, 13 ; his 
character, 14 ; his idea of cir 
cumnavigating Africa, 14 ; call 
in the aid of science to dispel the 
errors of his countrymen, 15 ;' 
estal)lishes a naval college, 15 ; 
obtains a papal bull, investing 
the Crown of Portugal with sov- 
ereign authority over lands it 
might discover, 15 ; dies before 
he accomplishes his purpose, 15; 
his character, 15 ; his motto, 
15. 

Henry VH., of England, extolled 
for his wisdom and munificence, 
27 ; propositions of Columbus to, 
27, 139. 

Hercules, Pillars of, 134. 

Hermoso, Port, 216. 



Hidalgos, 100. Pass of, 118. 

Higuenaniota, 192, 254. 

Higucy, province of, 143, 187, 
253. 

Hispaniola or Hayti, discovered by 
Columbus, 71. Description of 
it, 71, 105. Natives of, 120, &c. 
Columbus thinks it the ancient 
Ophir, 158. Difficulties at, 171. 

Holy Land, Crusade for, plan of 
Columbus, 39, 48, 94, 210, 211, 
265. 

Holy Sepulchre, see Jerusalem. 

Honduras, Cape, 218. 

Horses, wonder of aborigines at 
seeing, 110, 119. They think 
the horse and rider to be one 
animal, 119. 

Huelva, town of, 278. 
L 

Ideal line of demarcation between 
possessions of Spain and Portu- 
gal in New World, 97. 

Ideas conperning islands in the 
ocean, 17. 

India, Columbus proposes to seek 
it by a western route, 20. Thinks 
he has found it, 96, 134. 

India House, Royal, 98. 

Indian, speech of, 135. 
Ocean, 218, 220. 



Indians, the name applied by Co- 
lumbus to the natives of the New 
World, and since extended to all 
the aborigines, 64. Encounters 
with, 81, 104. Extirpation of 
256. 

Indies, New World so named, 96 
Fonseca patriarch of, 98. 

Indignation of Colum'jus at his 
treatment by King John of Por- 
tugal, 26. Of Isabella and peo- 
ple of Spain at treatment of Co 
lumbus by Bobadiila, 204. 

Inhabitants of New VV^orld, firsl 
seen, 61. 

Introduction, iii. 

Irons, Columbus put in, 201. He 
preserves them, 204. 

Isabella, Queen of Castile, descrip- 
tion of, 29 ; character of, 30, 



INDEX. 



619 



SI ; interests herself in the en- 
terprise of Columbus, 42 ; oilers 
to pledge her jewels for the 
funds necessary for the enter- 
prise, 45 ; her confidence in Co- 
lumbus, 163 ; begins to waver, 
196 ; her indignation at report 
of Roldan, 197 ; her indignation 
at Bobadilla's treatment of Co 
lumbus, 205 ; her reception of 
him at Court, 205 ; death of, 159 

Isabella, her name given to an isl- 
and, by Columbus, 65. City 
of, founded by Columbus, 113. 
Diego Columbus left in command 
at, 117. Sickness and discon 
tents at, 126. Difficulties with 
the Natives, 143, 147. 

, Princess, daughter of 

Queen Isabella, death of, 259. 

Island of Atlantis, legend respect- 
ing, iii. 17. 

Islands, discovery of, San Salva 
dor, 62 ; Cuba, 66 ; Hayti, 71 
Dominica, 103 ; Guadaloupe, 
103 ; Santa Cruz, 104 ; Eleven 
Thousand Virgins, 104 ; Porto 
Rico, 105 ; Jamaica, 130 ; th 
Queen's Garden, 131 ; Trini- 
dad, 168. 

, in the ocean, ideas re- 
specting, 17. Visited by Co- 
lumbus, 62, 65. 
J. 

Jacquernel, 189. 

Jamaica, discovery of, 130. No 
tice of, 136, 234. 

Jerusalem, Holy Sepulchre at, 39. 
Columbus devotes the profits of 
his discoveries to a crusade to 
recover it, 39, 48. Leading ob- 
ject of his ambition through life, 
48. His vow to furnish a cru- 
sade, 94, 210, 211, 265. 

Jew, sent as interpreter to Indians, 
68. Not understood by them, 69 

John II., King of Portugal, ascends 
the throne, 24 ; sends missiona- 
ries in quest of Prester John, 24 ;' 
calls upon his men of science to 
aid navigation, 25 ; Columbus 



obtains audience of, 25 ; the 
King refers the subject to a junto, 
25 ; and then to a council, who 
reject the scheme, 26 ; the King 
then assents to a project to de- 
fraud Columbus, 26 ; his recep- 
tion of Columbus on his return 
from his first voyage, 87 ; rejects 
proposals for assassination of Co- 
lumbus, 88 ; adopts plan to take 
possession of the New World, 

88, 99. 

Joppa, Columbus thinks his discov- 
ery has led him near, 134. 
Joy at Columbus's discovery, 87, 

89, 92. Not confined to Spain, 
95. 

Juan, Prince, son of Ferdinand and 
Isabella, 49. Island of Cuba, 
named in honor of him, 67. His 
reception of Columbus, 93, 94. 
Death of, 259. 

Juana, name given to Cuba by Co- 
lumbus, 67. 

daughter of Q,ueen Isabella, 

259, 264. 

Junta, formed by Columbus for 
government of Hayti, 129. 

de Descargos, claims of 

Columbus referred to, 263. 

Junto, propositions of Columbus to 
King John, referred to, 25. 
K. 

Khan, Grand or Great, see Great 
Khan. . 

L. 

La Boca del Drago, 170, 190. 

La Costa de los Contrastes, 223. 

Lactantius, cited by the council at 
Salamanca, against the views of 
Columbus, 36. 

La Esperanza, 188. 

La Navidad, fortress at, 78, 106, 
109, 142, 147. 

Land, signs of, 55, 56 ; supposed 
to be discovered, 58 ; certain 
manifestations of, 59; discovered 
by Columbus, 60 ; and by Ber- 
mejo, 60. 

Landing in the New World,fir3t,61. 

La Rabida, see Rabida. 



320 



INDEX. 



Lares, Ovando commander of, 208. 

Las Casas, his opinion of the 
judgements on enemies of Co- 
lumbus, 217 ; on the search for 
gold, 252, 253. 

Leagon, Bight of, 172. 

Ledesma, Pedro, 230. 

Legend, respecting Island of At- 
lantis, iii. 17. 

Leone, Antonio, his information to 
Columbus, 20. 

Lepe, see Rodriguez. 

, Diego, of Palos, 206. 

Light discovered by Columbus, 60. 

Line of demarcation, ideal, between 
possessions of Spain and Portu- 
gal, in New World, 97. 

Lisbon, residence of Columbus in, 
15. He leaves it, 27. 

Loredo, Columbus sends his broth- 
er to, to meet King Philip and 
Queen Juana, 264. 

I.iucar, (San) de Barrameda, 166, 
257. 

Lucayos, or Bahama Islands, 64. 

Luxan, Juan de, 120, 129. 
M. 

Magdalena, fortress, 142, 144, 
177. 

Magnetic needle, variation of, 
first discovered by Columbus, 
54. 

Maguana, province of, 143. 

Malaga, Columbus at surrender of, 
89. 

Bliingi, province of, 20, 47, 68, 
129, 132, 233. 

Mangon, 132, 133. 

Manicaotex, cacique, 149, 151. 

Mantinino, or Martinique, Island 
of, 82, 214. 

Map, conjectural, by which Colum 
bus governed himself in his first 
voyage, 20. 

Maps and charts, Columbus em- 
ployed in making, 16, 32. 

Marchena, Friar Juan Perez de, 
see Perez. 

Marco Polo, his narrative, 19, 20, 
the key to many of the ideas 
of Columbus, 20 



Margarita, Island, 171, 190. 

Margarite, Pedro, 120, 126, 128, 
140, 141, 142, 148, 153, 154, 
162. 

Marion, province of, 143. 

Marque, Diego, 103. 

Marriage of Columbus, 16. 

Martin, Andreas, 204. 

Martinique, 214. 

Martyr, Peter, quotation from, 77. 

Mayonabex, cacique of Ciguay, 82, 
180. 

Mayorazgo, or entailed estate, Co- 
lumbus allowed to establish, 163. 

Maysi, Cape, 129. 

Medical skill of Aborigines, 122. 

Medina Celi, Duke of, favorable 
to Columbus, and intends to aid 
him, but changes his mind, fear- 
ing to awaken the jealousy of the 
Crown, and writes a letter to the 
Queen in favor of the plan, 41. 

Medina del Campo, where Queen 
Isabella died, 259. 

Bledina Sidonia, Duke of, for a 
time, entertains the plan of aiding 
Columbus, but afterwards de- 
clines, 41. 

Mendez, Diego de, 225, 226, 232, 
234, 235, 236, 237, 238, 239, 
241, 243, 247, 249, 250, 258. 

Mendoza, Pedro Gonzalez de^ 
archbishop of Toledo, and grand 
cardinal of Spain, facetiously 
called the third king of Spain, 
33; countenances Columbus, 33; 
and procures for him a royal au- 
dience, 33. 

Mexico, 218, 220. 

Miguel, Prince, death of, 259. 

Misa, Rio de la, 136. 

Moguer, near Palos, 28, 48. Chap- 
el of Santa Clara at, Columbus 
vows to watch and pray all night 
in it, 83. Author's visit to, 272. 

Monte Christi, 106, 112. 

Moon, supposed to have issu^^d 
from a cavern near Cape Fron 
cois, 122. 

Moorish war, Spanish Sovereu.« 
engaged in, 31, 39, 43, 100 



INDEX. 



021 



Morales, the royal treasurer, 238, 

258. 

Moslems of Granada, Spanish war 
against, 39. 

Mosquito Shore, 219. 

Motto on coat-of-arms of Colum- 
bus, 95. 

Mouth of the Dragon, 170. 

Moxica, Adrian de, 177, 192, 193. 
Executed, 194. 

Mutiny threatened, 57. Open rup- 
tures, 59, 116, 127. 
N. 

Naples, struggle of John of Anjou. 
for crown of, 11. 

Natives of New World, astonish- 
ment of, 62. Description of, 63 
Customs and characteristics of, 
120, 121, 130. Difficulties with, 
81, 104, 142, 149, 159, 173, 
180, 227, 228, 229. Their sub- 
jection, 151. Conspiraciesof,142, 
143, 173. Extirpation of, 256 

Naval College established by Prince 
Henry of Portugal, 15. 

Navasa, Island, 248. 

Navidad, La, fortress at, 78, 106, 
109, 142, 147. 

Navigation in its infancy when 
Columbus began his career, 14 

Needle, magnetic, variation of dis- 
covered by Columbus, 54. 

Negro slavery in New World, first 
traces of, 210. 

New Spain, 218. 

New World, Scandinavian voya- 
gers had but faint glimpses of, 
iv. Q,ueen Isabella the patroness 
of the discovery of, 45. Discov- 
ered, 60. First landing of Colum- 
bus in, 61. Name given to, 96 

Nicholas, St., name given by Co- 
lumbus to a harbor in Hayti, 71. 

Nina, one of the vessels of Colum 

bus, 51, 129, 157, 159. 
Nombre de Dies, Cape, 220. 
Non, Cape, 87. 

Northmen visited America, iii. v 
Note to this edition, v. 

O. 
Object of this work, iv. 



Obsequies of Columbus, 290. 

Ocean, supposed islands in, 17. 

Odiel, a river near Palos, 52, 277. 

Odorigo, Doctor Nicolo, 213. 

Ojeda, Alonzo de, 100, 102, 114, 
128, 140, 142, 143, 145, 146. 
His capture of Caonabo, 147. 
His prowess, 150, 189. Ilia 
expedition, 189, 190. 

Omega, Alpha and, name given by 
Columbus to eastern end of Cu- 
ba, 70. 

Ophir, 158, 162, 270. 

Orinoco, discovery of, 168. 

Ornofay, 130. 

Outrage on Columbus and his crew, 
at St. Mary's Island, 84. 

Ovando, Nicolas de, 208, 209, 210, 
214, 236, 239, 243, 244, 249, 
251, 252, 253, 254, 256, 268. 

Oviedo, remarks of, respecting Co- 
lumbus, 32. 

Ozema, 157, 171. 
P. 

Palms, Cape of, name given by 
Columbus to a headland in Cu- 
ba, 68. 

Palos, arrival of Columbus at, 28. 
Conversations with sundry resi- 
dents of the place, 29. Port of 
his embarcation, 48. Town 
obliged to furnish the Crown 
with two armed caravels one 
year, 48. Return to, 89. Au- 
thor's Visit to, 271. 

Papal bull, investing Crown of 
Portugal with sovereign authori- 
ty over all lands it might discov- 
er, 15. Dividing the New 
World between Spain and Por- 
tugal, 97. 

Paradise, Indian, 172. 

Parentage of Columbus, 9. 

Paria, 103, 190. Gulf of, 168, 

170. Promontory, 168, 190. 
Pass of the Hidalgos, 118. 
Pavia, University of, Columbus at, 

10. 
Perez, Alonzo, discovers Tanidad, 

168. 
, Friar Juan de Marchena, hia 



322 



INDEX. 



conversation with Columbus, |)Point Bias, 233. 



28. Lays his plans before his 
friends, 29. Gives Columbus 
a letter to the Queen's confes 
sor, 29. Takes charge of Co- 
lumbus's son, 29. Again exert 
himself, has an audience of the 
Queen, and is successful, 42 
Mention of, 282. 

Philip, husband of Juana the 
daughter of Isabella, 239, 264 

Philipina, Bay of, 134. 

Piety of Columbus, 16, 24, 267. 

Pillars of Hercules, 134. 

Pine-apple, first met with, 103. 

Pinelo, Francisco, treasurer for sec- 
ond voyage of Columbus, 98 

Pinta, caravel which accompanied 
Columbus on his first voyage, 
51, 52, 59, 60, 70, 78, 80, 83, 
90. 

Pinzon, Don Juan Fernandez, 272, 
&c. 

, Don Louis Fernandez, 275. 

family, 271, &c. 

, Martin Alonzo, approves 

the plan* of Columbus, offers to 
engage in them, 29. Furnishes 
Columbus money for his jour- 
ney to the Court, 29. Engages 
personally in the expedition, 50. 
Commands one of the caravels, 
51. Lands in New World with 
Columbus, 62. Deserts him, 
70. Rejoins him, 80. Carrie; 
off Natives, who are restored by 
Columbus, 81. Separation ii 
tempest, 83. Ilis arrival at Pa- 
los, 90. His chagrin and death 
90. His character, 90, 282. 

, Vicente Yanez, engages 



in the expedition of Columbus, 
50. Commands one of the car- 
avels, 51. Lands in New World 
with Columbus, 62. His subse- 
quent discoveries, 206. 

Pisa, Bernal Diaz de, 116, 117. 

Plato, legend respecting Atlantis, 
narrated by, iii. 17. 

Pliny, his opinion of the ocean, 
19. 



Pope, submission to, 96. 

Porras, Diego, 238, 240, 243. 

. Francisco, 238, 239, 240, 

243, 244, 245, 246, 247, 251, 
258. 

Porto Rico, 103, 103. 

Port San Gloria, 234. 

Portugal, first arrival of Columbus 
in, 12, 15. Exertions of Prince 
Henry, 13, 14, 15. Fame of 
Portuguese discoveries, 13. 
Events m, relative to discovery, 
23. Cause of discovery lan- 
guishes under Alphonso, 23. 
Propositions of Columbus to 
King .lohn, 25, see John H. 

Poverty of Columbus, 28, 42, 257, 
258, 280. 

Prester John, tales told of, 24. 
Missions in quest of, 24, 133. 

Progress of discovery under Prince 
Henry of Portugal, 13. 

Pundonor, 141. 

Puerto Bello, 221, 233. 

Puntade Galera, Island, 168. 
Gl. 

Queen's Garden, name given by 
Columbus to archipelago in Ca 
ribbean Sea, 131, 233. 

Quibian, cacique of Veragua, 223, 
224, 226, 227, 228. 

Quintanilla, Alonzo de, comptrol- 
ler of the finances of Castile, 
advocates the theory of Colum- 
bus and receives him into his 
house, 33. Assists him, 40. 
Appeals to the Queen in his be- 
half, and is successful, 45. 
R. 

Rabida, convent of, Columbus's 
arrival at, 28. Guardian of the 
convent enters warmly into his 
views, 28. Columbus returns 
to, disappointed, 42. Author's 
visit to, 276. 
Rastello, in Portugal, Columbus 
anchors opposite to, 86. Char- 
acter of inhabitants of, 86. 
Reception of Columbus by John, 
King of Portugal, 25, 87. At 



INDEX. 



323 



Convent of Palos, 28, 42, 49. At 
Palos, 49, S9. At Spanisli 
Court, 32, 33, 43, 46, 90, 92 
At council of Salamanca, 35. By 
the natives of the New World, 
62 By Portuguese governor 
of fct. Mary's Island, 84. By in- 
habitants of Portugal, 86. 

Red Sea, 134. 

Reeds, River of, 119. 

Reguelme, Pedro, 183, 184, 193; 
194, 198, 202. 

Religious notions of the Natives, 
121, &c. 

Repartimientos, claimed by Rol 
dan, 188. 

Residence of Columbus in Lisbon, 
15. 

Retrete, El, or the Cabinet, 220, 
221. 

Return voyage of Columbus, (first,) 
80. Second, 134. Third, 200. 
Fourth, 257. 

Rich coast, 219. 

Rio del Oro, 106. 

Rio de la Misa, 136. 

Rio Verde, 119. 

Rodriguez, Sebastian, a pilot of 
Lepe, sent by the friends of 
Columbus at La Rabida, to the 
Queen, and acquits himself sue 
cessfully, 42. 

Roldan, Francisco, 173, &c., 181, 
182, 184, 185, 186, 187, 188, 
189, &c., 202. Perishes in a 
tempest, 216. 

Royai India House, 98. 

Plain, 118. 

Rubio, Domingo, river at Palos, 
282. 

Rumors of undiscovered countries, 
18. 

S. 

St. Augustine, cited by the Coun- 
cil at Salamanca, against the 
theory of Columbus, 36. 

:, Cape, 206. 

St. Christoval, Fort, 171. 

St. Domingo, Island, see Hayti or 
Hispaniola, and Ozema. City 
of, 172. 



St. George, church of, at Palos, 
49, 89. Author's visit to, 286. 
Bank of, at Genoa, 213, 265. 

St. Mary of the True Peace, town 
of, 155. 

St. Nicholas, name given by Co- 
lumbus to a harbor at Hayti, 
71. 

St. Thomas, name given by Co- 
lumbus to what is supposed to 
be the Bay of Acul, 73. To a 
fortress in Cibao, 119, 120, 126, 
128, 140, 142, 143. 

Salamanca, Columbus before the 
council at, 34. 

Salcedo, Diego de, 250. 

Saltes, bar of, island whence Co- 
lumbus set sail on his first voy- 
age, 52, 277. 

Salve regina, or vesper hymn, 
sung, 59, 267. 

Samana, Gulf of, 81, 179. 

Sanchez, Juan, 226, 246. 

, Rodriguez, of Segovia, 

called by Columbus to witness 
the light he discovered, 60. 

San Gloria, Port, 234. 

San Lucar de Barrameda, 164, 
257. 

San Miguel, 137. 

San Salvador, name given by Co- 
lumbus to the island on which 
he first landed, 64 ; also to a 
river in Cuba, 67. 

Santa Clara, church of, at Moguer, 
Columbus vows to watch and 
pray all night in, 83. Author's 
visit to, 287. 

Santa Cruz, 104. Name of a new 
caravel built by Columbus, 150. 

Santa Fe, 42. 

Santa, La Isla, 168. 

Santa Maria, name of Columbus's 
ship, 51. 

Santa Maria de la Verdadera Paz, 
255. 

Santiago, 149. 

Saona, channel of, 137. 

Saragoza, in Arragon, royal pal- 
ace at, 47. 

Scandinavian voyagers to Ameri- 



324 



INDEX. 



ca, iii. V Kaovvledge of, lost to 

mankind, iv. 
Second voyage, 97, 102. 
Segovia, Columbus at, 262. 
Seneca, his opinion of tlie ocean, 

19. 
Sepulchre, Holy, see Jerusalem. 
Seville, 38, 40, 89, 97, 98, 100. 
Shipwrecks, 74, 156. 
Sickness at settlements, 126. 
Skirmishes with Indians, 81, 104, 

142, 149, 159, 173, ISO, 227, 

228, 229. 
Slaves, 115, 149, 155, 197, 210. 
Slavery, negro, first traces of, in 

New World, 210. 
Soldan of Egypt, see Egypt. 
Solomon, King, mines whence he 

procured gold, 158. 
Soria, Juan de, comptroller for 

second voyage of Columbus, 98 

99, 101. 
Southern Ocean, 218. 
Spain, Columbus arrives in, 27. 
Strabo, his opinion of the ocean 

19. 
Sultry weather, 169. 
Sun, supposed to have issued from 

a cavern, near Cape Francois, 

122. 
Superstition of Columbus, 169. 

T. 
Tagus, Columbus arrives at mouth 

of, 86. 
Talavera, confessor to Q,uc3n Is 

abella, Juan Perez gives Colum 

bus a letter to, 29. Too much 

engaged to attend to him, 31, 32. 

Directed by the King to sunmion 

a council to examine the views 

of Columbus, 34. 
Tales and rumors about undis 

covered countries, 18. 
Te Deum laudamus, chanted on 

account of success of Columbus 

94. 
Tempests, 67, 82, 85, 156, 215, 

218, 221, 234, 256. 
Terceira Islands, 88. 
Terra Firma, nothing known re- 
specting it, till 15th century, iii 



Third Voyage, 164. 
Thomas, St., see St. Thomas. 
Thule, visited by Columbus, v. 23. 
ultima, 23. 



with 
map 



Tiburon, Cape, 137, 172, 249. 

Tinto, a river near Palos, 52, 277, 
282. 

Tobacco, used by the natives of 
the New World, 69. Name of 
the roll transferred to the weed, 
69. 

Torres, Antonio, 148, 154. 

Toscanelli, correspondence 
Columbus, 18. Chart or 
furnished by him, 20, 52. 

Trade winds, influence of, 55, 103 

Trinidad, discovery of, 168. 

Tristan, Diego, 228, 229, 230. 

Turey, or heaven, 75, 146, 152. 
U. 

Ultima, Thule, 23. 

Undiscovered lands in the West, 
grounds of the belief of Colum- 
bus in existence of, 18. 

Unhealthiness of climate, 126. 

University of Salamanca, council 
at, 34 

Uricans, 156. 

Utia, animal like coney, 75. 
V. 

Valparaiso, near Lisbon, Portu- 
guesfc court at, 87. 

Variation of the needle first dis- 
covered by Columbus, 54. 

Vega Real, or Roj'a! Plain, 118. 

Venezuela, Gulf of, discovered, 
191. 

Venice, proposition of Columbus 
to, 27. 

Veragua, 219, 221, 223, 233, 236. 

Veraguas, Duke of, 291. 

Verde, Cape de, 15, 19, 26, 97. 

Vesper hynm sung, 59. 

Vespucci, Amerigo, sails with Oje- 
da, 190 ; employed by Colum- 
bus, 262. 

Vicenti, Martin, his information to 
Columbus, 21. 

Viceroy and admiral, Columbus 
demands to be, 44 ; is appoint 
ed, 47 



INDEX. 



325 



fillejo, Alonzo do, 203. 

Vinland, visited by Scandinavians, 

iii. V. Knowledge of the fact 

lost, iv. vi. 
Virgins, Eleven Thousand, Islands 

of, 105. 
Visionary projects of Columbus, 

38, 48, 94, 194. 
Vow of Columbus to furnish money 

for a crusade, 94, 211. 
Voyage, First, difficulties in getting 

ready, 49, 50. Return, 80. 



-, Second, 97, 102. 
turn, 134. 

, Third, 104, 166. 

turn, 210. 
, Fourth, 213, 214. 



Re 
Re 
Re- 



turn, 257. 

W. 
Waterspout, 222. 
VVatling's Island, that on which 

Columbus first saw light, 64. 
vVeeds, sea covered with, 56. 
Weedy sea, described by Aristotle, 

55. 



West, undiscovered lands in, 
grounds of belief of Columbu* 
in, 18. 

West Indies, name first given to 
New World, 96. 

Whirlwinds, 156. 

Will, of Columbus, 163, 264. 

Wrecks, 74, 103. 

X. 

Xaragua, 124, 143, 172, 174, 179, 

181, 249, 254, 255. 
Xerif al Edresi, description of At 

lantic, iv. 
Ximeno de Breviesca, 165. 

Y. 

Yagui, River, 119. 

Yegua, River, 146, 147. 

Ysabel, Spanish name of Isabella, 

62. 
Yucatan, 218. 

Z. 
Zemes, deities of the Aborigin««, 

121, 146. 



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